South Korea cracks down on “malicious” Internet use

Here’s an interesting story about a darker side online culture from South Korea:

South Korean police have rounded up more than 2,000 people for spreading malicious rumours on the Internet during a month-long crackdown sparked by an actress’s suicide, officials said Monday.

The National Police Agency said 11 people have been formally arrested and detained for serious legal breaches and that prosecutors would be asked to charge another 2,019 with various offences.

Online norms in South Korea have been an issue in the past.  It will be interesting to see if legal enforcement will have the desired effect of supressing rumors.