[News Today] LIGHT PENALTY FOR CYBER WRECKERS

[LEAD]

Cyber Wreckers are those who frequently post misinformation or unverified information just to attract views and generate content. Following the blackmail incident involving popular YouTuber 'Tzuyang,' calls for stricter punishments are on the rise. Recent reviews of the past four years reveal that penalties for 'internet defamation' by these Cyber Wrecker YouTubers have been minimal. We look into why.

[REPORT]
A 20-something YouTuber suddenly throws the food he ordered at a restaurant.

Even when the police arrive, he pays no attention.

Youtuber / (VOICE MODIFIED)
(Why did you take off your shirt?)
Passion, passion.

The court ruled that he acted provocatively on purpose to earn money from YouTube.

He was sentenced to four years in prison on 14 counts, including defaming another YouTuber.

KBS reviewed first-trial rulings handed down to YouTubers accused of various offenses, including online defamation, over the past four years.

Out of 19 people, six were given jail terms and ten were fined.

In the cases of imprisonment, most sentences included additional charges for other crimes.

For online defamation alone, just one was sentenced to jail and five were fined.

The fines were just 2.3 million won, or about 1,600 U.S. dollars, on average.

The rulings show that the motive behind their offenses was to earn money.

In order to attract more subscribers to their channels, they made groundless assumptions and unilateral claims and even shared unfiltered, sensational content.

But only 3.2 percent of such content creators stood trial on charges of online defamation last year.

Experts stress that to prevent reckless exposure or threats by so-called "cyber wreckers", it is essential to confiscate criminal proceeds and impose severe penalties.

Shin Al-chan/ Lawyer (Law firm Sedam)
Because the benefits outweigh the risks, harsher penalties should be imposed
on habitual offenders.

Recently, Prosecutor General Lee One-seok ordered active investigations into the cyber wreckers cases with the perpetrators placed under custody, and to refer even simple defamation cases to formal trials instead of summary indictments.

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