Ilbe. Photo by Ilgan Best homepage capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] A petition has been posted on the Blue House National Petition Board requesting the shutdown of the far-right online community site 'Ilgan Best (Ilbe)'. This comes amid ongoing social criticism due to controversies such as sexual harassment and illegal filming, as well as recent allegations that Cho Ju-bin (25, detained), the suspect in the so-called 'Nth Room' case involving the distribution of sexual exploitation materials of women in secret Telegram chat rooms, might be an Ilbe member.
On the 26th, a post titled "Petition to shut down Ilgan Best site, a hotbed of crime" was uploaded to the National Petition Board. The petitioner argued that "The social evils, crimes, and terrorist acts of Ilbe, including the recent Nth Room case, have gone beyond what society can tolerate," and stated, "It has crossed the line from freedom of expression to infringing on others' rights, and the evils it has spawned are causing various social problems," calling for Ilbe to be shut down.
Listing past Ilbe-related controversies such as insulting the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster and inciting the May 18 Democratic Uprising as riots, thereby damaging the democratic spirit of the Republic of Korea, the petitioner said, "There is a precedent of committing insults and terrorism against history, and Ilbe has interfered in all kinds of elections including general, presidential, and local elections." They also cited Jang Dae-ho, known as the suspect in the Han River dismembered body case last year, as an Ilbe member, stating, "Ilbe is connected to various murders, frauds, sex crimes, and crimes against humanity."
They further pointed out, "The recent Nth Room case is an unprecedentedly heinous and vicious crime," adding, "It is shameful and infuriating as a citizen that a site where such people gather still exists in the Republic of Korea, especially since they committed sexual crimes against adolescents and children we should protect, along with threats and extortion."
Referencing the past case where the 'Soranet' site, which was involved in various sexual crime controversies, was shut down and its operators arrested, the petitioner said, "There is now a precedent that antisocial sites are no longer protected under Korean law," and argued, "Freedom of expression is important, but it must not cross the line of infringing on human rights and public safety. As long as such sites remain, further crimes will continue."
Is it possible to shut down Ilbe? A petition urging Ilbe's closure was also posted in January 2018, which garnered over 230,000 supporters and met the Blue House's response threshold.
Former Blue House Legal Secretary Kim Hyung-yeon responded, "It needs to be observed further whether the proportion of illegal posts on Ilbe reaches the criteria for site closure," implying that closure was not possible under the standards at that time. However, he added, "Freedom of expression is an important value, but as stated in the Constitution, all citizens have freedom of the press and publication while not infringing on others' honor or rights. Illegal information that damages others' honor or fake news can be severely punished under a zero-tolerance principle."
Although closure was not possible then, Ilbe can be shut down if it meets the sanction criteria. According to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, illegal information is defined as ▲obscene content ▲defamation with the intent to slander ▲youth harmful media ▲acts prohibited under the National Security Act ▲criminal purposes or incitement/abetment, and distribution of such information is prohibited.
If illegal information accounts for more than 70% of the entire website's posts, the site can be shut down or access blocked after review. This was the reason for the past closure of Soranet. However, illegal information must exceed a certain level, and the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) decides on this judgment.
Most experts predict that closure will be difficult. Professor Park Kyung-shin of Korea University Law School, who served as a KCSC review member, said in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Park Ji-hoon's The World and Us' last year, "Gambling or pornographic sites basically fill their space with gambling or pornographic content for commercial purposes, but Ilbe is not like that," expressing the opinion that there is insufficient legal basis to shut down Ilbe.
Meanwhile, as of 9 a.m. on the 27th, the petition has garnered about 54,800 supporters.
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