from The Eletric NewpaperCyber thugs make life HELL for Korean stars Was singer U-nee a victim of 'cyber violence'
By Chang May Choon, 25 January 2007 
SOME called her a 'plastic human being'.
Others said she was a 'manufactured celebrity'.
Many in the Internet community had blasted her overtly sexy image and speculated which other part of her body she would fix next.
Their target: Korean singer U-nee.
The 26-year-old babe was one of many Korean celebrities who have been hit by a growing social phenomenon known as 'cyber violence' in Korea, the world's most wired country.
This includes unwarranted personal attacks, harassment and defamation - all unleashed anonymously by a cyber community whose maturity level is said to have fallen behind the country's fast-developing technology.
In 2005, the Korea Internet Safety Commission received 8,406 complaints of online offences, twice the number in 2004.
Celebrity attacks, in particular, have become increasingly vicious recently, with the police stepping in to nab the culprits.
Sometimes there are tragic consequences.
U-nee killed herself on Sunday.
It is not known yet why she commited suicide in the apartment she shared with her grandmother in Incheon, near Seoul.
But her family and friends believe she was suffering from depression and 'living in agony' due to the numerous cyber attacks inflicted on her, The Chosun Ilbo reported.
Singaporeans would remember U-nee as the Korean singer whose pictures were mistaken to be that of a murdered Mongolian model in Kuala Lumpur last November.
Entertainment journalist Han Eun Jung, who used to write for The Korea Times, said that Korean people in general are 'emotional' and 'passionate' and it is reflected in their online postings.
Increasingly liberal teenagers, especially, do not mince their words when it comes to criticising celebrities they dislike.
Miss Han told The New Paper: 'Korea is still a conservative place and Confucian values are still practised and are expected of young people.
'But they have their own need to let out their feelings. The Internet is an easy outlet for them and this has resulted in all the negative comments.'
Apparently, U-nee was an easy target because of her showbiz history - she had started at age 15 as a sweet and innocent girl-next-door actress, but disappeared for two years to transform herself into a singing sex goddess.
'U-nee was the most attacked because it was so evident in her face that she had extensive surgery,' said Miss Han.
'As opposed to some artistes who would deny it, U-nee had been very honest and open about having had surgery.... but it backfired on her. Some bloggers were more harsh on her and they hurt her.'
U-nee's death has left the nation reeling in shock and cast the media spotlight on cyber violence against celebrities.
Despite many affected artistes speaking up against the hurtful remarks during media interviews in the past, netizens have continued the attacks.
Miss Han said: 'People are saddened and shocked that words can push somebody to such extreme measures, but unfortunately, it won't put an end (to the celebrity bashing).'
Still, help may be on its way.
An earlier Reuters report said the Korean government plans to introduce a Bill on real-name authentication that requires Net users to log in with their national identification numbers (like our IC number).
This is supposed to help the authorities track netizens and reduce anonymous Internet attacks.
