While an elementary school teacher in Daejeon made an extreme choice after suffering from malicious complaints, a social media account appeared revealing the identity of parents who had been accused of filing complaints for years. This account is attracting the attention of netizens, reaching over 7,000 followers just one day after it was created. However, there are concerns that unconfirmed information could cause innocent harm.
Previously, on the 10th, an account was created on Instagram to reveal the identities of parents who were identified as the perpetrators of the Daejeon teacher death incident. The account operator released the name, phone number, place of business, and family photos of the parents of the alleged perpetrator along with the introductory message, ‘We are revealing the faces of the murderer and his children who caused the suicide of a female teacher of 24 years, as well as the in-laws’ cousins.’
In addition, a photo combining a parent’s face and a portrait, a video of a kimbap shop known to be run by a parent being attacked by a bottled water bottle, and a post capturing a parent’s KakaoTalk messenger and swearing at the child by calling him or her a ‘stupid X’ or ‘funny X’ were also posted . .
The account administrator said, “Some may say they are crossing the line, but because of them, the husband lost his beloved wife,” and “The mother lost her daughter, the two children lost their mother, and a family was devastated.” He said, “I want to make them aware of their mistakes using the method of ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” He added, “I want to eradicate the fundamental cause of this incident that caused social resentment.”
In response to a netizen’s point that posts containing personal information could be problematic, this operator said, “If you want to (report) it, do it.” He also claimed, “I am a 10-year-old boy.” This account address spread through Mom Cafe and online communities, and some netizens responded with comments such as “Courageous and cool,” “A 10-year-old boy does something that even the police can’t do,” and “Good job, applause.”
The account posted about 40 posts in one day and had over 7,580 followers. The original account was closed around 11 am on the 11th, but another account called ‘Season 2’ was created and related posts are being posted.
Private sanctions resulting from the disclosure of personal information have side effects, such as being socially stigmatized even though the person has not committed any wrongdoing. In fact, there was a case last July when a teacher at Seoi Elementary School in Seoul passed away due to an extreme choice, causing secondary damage as unconfirmed information was shared online. At that time, ‘A congressman’s granddaughter is attending Seoi Elementary School. Articles to the effect that the school and police are trying to cover up the incident due to external pressure spread, and People Power Party lawmaker Han Ki-ho was mentioned as a person linked to the deceased’s extreme choices. However, it turned out that this rumor was not true as Representative Han Ki-ho had no grandchildren안전놀이터 attending the school.
Seol Dong-hoon, a professor of sociology at Chonbuk National University, told Chosun.com, “It may be frustrating that the suspect who led the teachers to their deaths has not been revealed. However, although the intention to implement justice is good, private sanctions are a violation of positive law and can cause harm to innocent people.” did. He continued, “If the account owner has any information related to the incident, it would be a good idea to report it to investigative agencies or the media and undergo a strict fact check.”
If the personal information of the offender is disclosed in the private sector, the person may be punished for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (Information and Communications Network Act). According to Article 70, Paragraph 1 of the Information and Communications Network Act, a person who defames another person by publicly revealing facts through an information and communications network for the purpose of defaming that person shall be punished by imprisonment for up to three years or by a fine of up to 30 million won. If the disclosed information is false, you may be imprisoned for up to 7 years, suspended for up to 10 years, or fined up to 50 million won.
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