Bloggers going underground in wake of Minerva arrest

Posted on : 2009-01-14 12:06 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Many worry that restricting the freedom of speech on the Internet could have dire consequences for the future of the Net

South Korea’s Internet community is in shock. Renowned Internet bloggers and writers are deleting their writings and going underground. The prosecution’s arrest of the influential Internet pundit “Park,” who is best known by his Internet alias “Minerva,” seems to be having an immediate impact on cyberspace. Still, the public appears divided over whether the prosecution is actually attempting to control the Internet using age-old regulations and, if so, whether it will succeed, because so much of what is posted to the Internet is done via a pseudonym.

The Internet is supposed to be a space where free participation is guaranteed. Unlike in-person forums led by experts, the Internet gives ordinary people a chance to offer opinions and create their own content. The Internet created an environment in which success or failure hinged on the quality of the content being posted, which helped usher in the era of user created content.

“Technically speaking, there is no difference between Daum’s Agora debate section and mini homepages. If an ordinary netizen is punished for what he posted in cyberspace just because it is not correct, it will threaten the Internet’s ecosystem,” said Kang Jang-mook, a professor at Sejong University. “At a time when we have to work hard to develop the Internet with better software and content, the arrest of Minerva could empty out cyberspace.”

An attorney who specializes in Internet law echoed that view. “If the prosecution were to apply the nation’s Frame Act on Telecommunications so as to arrest people for spreading false information, authors whose books or articles contain even a small piece of inaccurate information could be punished if those materials were to be found on the Internet. It is nonsense for the prosecution to apply a law that has hardly been used since its enactment in 1983, when there was no Internet, to this case (Minerva’s arrest).”

An employee of a company related to the Internet said, “The Internet is based on user created content, so if the atmosphere in which people can write freely is undermined, it could deal a serious blow to the industry.”

Daum, which is under fire for providing personal information on Minerva to the prosecution, is also facing an awkward situation. When contacted for a comment for this article, a Daum representative said, “We cannot make any statements.”

A growing number of writers are leaving Daum’s Agora debate section.

Another attorney, Lee Eun-woo, said, “It is inevitable that opinions will become more biased if opposition is subdued and the debate process is not supported. The key to democracy is to let the public express their opinions freely. Against this backdrop, the government’s attempt to control the Internet is having an enormous negative impact on our nation’s political development.”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

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