12 Netizens Indicted on Libel Charges Against Korean Rapper
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Last year was grueling for popular Korean rapper, Tablo, from the group Epik High.
The 30-year-old, whose Korean name is Lee Seon-woong, was repeatedly accused of forging his diploma from Stanford University in the US state of California where he graduated in 2002.
In May last year, about 20 bloggers claimed that Lee falsely presented himself as a Stanford graduate to the public and continued to post defamatory writing on their online community called "Tajinyo" which means "We want the truth from Tablo", in Korean.
Lee filed a libel suit against these bloggers and in October, after an investigation, the Prosecutors' Office announced that Lee's Stanford diplomas are real.
[Interview : Jin young-geun, Investigations Chief Seocho Police Station] "After comparing transcripts we received from Stanford University and the ones from Tablo, and after collecting other evidence from a number of sources, we concluded that Tablo has earned a bachelor's and master's degree in English Literature at Stanford".
And on Thursday, the Prosecutors' Office indicted 12 netizens, including a 30-year-old man only identified by his surname, Song, on charges of spreading false information about the celebrity.
The police have also put six others on a wanted list who are suspected to be living abroad.
Among the six include the 'Tajinyo' online community master whose user ID is 'whatbecomes'.
The K-pop star was cleared of all allegations, but defamatory actions and witch-hunts in cyber space have once again emerged as a serious social problem.
Han Da-eun, Arirang News.
The 30-year-old, whose Korean name is Lee Seon-woong, was repeatedly accused of forging his diploma from Stanford University in the US state of California where he graduated in 2002.
In May last year, about 20 bloggers claimed that Lee falsely presented himself as a Stanford graduate to the public and continued to post defamatory writing on their online community called "Tajinyo" which means "We want the truth from Tablo", in Korean.
Lee filed a libel suit against these bloggers and in October, after an investigation, the Prosecutors' Office announced that Lee's Stanford diplomas are real.
[Interview : Jin young-geun, Investigations Chief Seocho Police Station] "After comparing transcripts we received from Stanford University and the ones from Tablo, and after collecting other evidence from a number of sources, we concluded that Tablo has earned a bachelor's and master's degree in English Literature at Stanford".
And on Thursday, the Prosecutors' Office indicted 12 netizens, including a 30-year-old man only identified by his surname, Song, on charges of spreading false information about the celebrity.
The police have also put six others on a wanted list who are suspected to be living abroad.
Among the six include the 'Tajinyo' online community master whose user ID is 'whatbecomes'.
The K-pop star was cleared of all allegations, but defamatory actions and witch-hunts in cyber space have once again emerged as a serious social problem.
Han Da-eun, Arirang News.
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