Government Announces Crackdown on Cyber Defamation

Starting next month, defamation on the Internet will face tougher crackdowns.

The Ministry of Information and Communication and the Information Communication Ethics Committee said on Sunday that they have designated June as a month for a special crackdown on “anti” sites--sites that are against a particular individual--and strengthen its cyber monitoring activities by mobilizing 39 committee members and some volunteer workers.

The decision was made on the basis that recently, defamation in cyberspace is posing a serious and ever-increasing threat.

The Ministry is planning to commit serious cases to the judiciary for investigation.

Defamation on the Internet is defined as the act of publicizing facts with a purpose to slander a person, or exerting serious damage to a person by spreading wrong information, similar to penal defamation.

Suk-Min Hong smhong@donga.com