After K-pop death, ‘Sulli’s Law’ being considered to fight cyberbullying
- People use online forums to attack others anonymously, often with no idea of the damage they inflict
- However, a law that demands people use their real identities online is hard to enforce and some say unconstitutional
By Jason Lim
Sulli was a 25-year-old actress who made her debut when she was only 11 years old and joined the K-pop girl group f(x) at age 15, leaving the group in 2014, reportedly due to malicious and unfounded online attacks. Ironically and tragically, she was most recently the host of a TV show trying to educate the public about the harms of cyberbullying, even reading out loud some of the online comments that she has had to deal with.
The anonymity and ubiquity of online platforms make it too easy for people to lash out at others without thinking about the impact it might have on them. Because cyberbullies can’t witness the effect of their words, they use less restraint than they might in face-to-face situations.
After all, you don’t see the blood from a broken nose or the black eye from a fist fight. There is no mess to clean up, which makes the violence less real. Except to the victims.
In response to the social outrage, a “Sulli’s Law” may be introduced in South Korea’s National Assembly in early December. While the exact language isn’t available, the bill already carries high expectations to serve as a panacea to the many ills attributed to the prevalence of cyberbullying and its malevolent effects on those bullied.