Nearly 45,000 Sign Petition in 18 Days
If 50,000 Agree Within 30 Days, Petition Will Be Referred to National Assembly Standing Committee
As 45,000 people agreed to a National Assembly petition calling for sanctions against celebrity YouTubers who indiscriminately expose celebrities' private lives for profit, attention is focusing on whether the petition will be referred to a standing committee of the National Assembly.
According to the National Assembly's electronic petition website on the 13th, the petition titled "A Request for Strong Sanctions at the National Assembly Level to Prevent Harm Such as Celebrity Suicides Caused by the Activities of Entertainment Journalists' YouTube Channels," registered on the 24th of last month, had garnered 44,687 signatures as of 7 p.m. The petition will continue until the 26th of this month, and if it receives more than 50,000 signatures, it will be formally referred to the relevant committees of the National Assembly.
The petitioner, Mr. A, explained the purpose of the petition, saying, "The social problem of entertainment reporters' YouTube channels harassing celebrities at a stalking level is not something new. Recently, another young actress met a tragic end by taking her own life due to such behavior. I believe this malicious conduct, which keeps recurring, must be brought to public attention." The young actress Mr. A referred to is the late Kim Sae-ron, who passed away on the 16th of last month.
Mr. A mentioned Kim Sae-ron's death, stating, "The actress caused a significant social stir due to a drunk driving accident and was known to have kept a low profile afterward. Nevertheless, her every move was repeatedly investigated at a stalking level against her will by YouTube channels mainly dealing with entertainment gossip and social networking services (SNS) whenever the public seemed to have forgotten her."
He continued, "Many celebrities have ended their lives, given up their dreams and left the entertainment industry, or are struggling to continue their careers while overcoming psychiatric disorders such as panic disorder due to such behavior. While traditional mass media would have self-regulated such harassment of celebrities for ethical reasons, in the YouTube world, this is happening without any restrictions," he pointed out. Mr. A then raised his voice, saying, "The National Assembly must now establish basic qualifications for YouTubers and set precise regulations and standards for the videos and stories they disseminate, comparable to those of existing mass media."
Finally, Mr. A earnestly requested, "Especially for behaviors that focus on harassing celebrities to increase personal profit and exposure, and to prevent repeated harm to celebrities caused by this, I sincerely ask for serious consideration."
Earlier, Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family claimed that she suffered during her lifetime due to some YouTubers exposing her private life. Kim Sae-ron's aunt mentioned the petition in an interview with a media outlet on the same day, saying, "I hope many people will participate so that this can become an opportunity to strengthen the currently lenient punishments." She added, "Although Sae-ron has left us, I hope that no more unjust deaths will occur in the future due to indiscriminate and irresponsible invasions of privacy causing suffering."
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