• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.20
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• pp.141-176
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• 2003

This paper examined how Korean courts conceptualized and applied public interest defense of Penal Code to the libel cases raised by socially influential persons. For this, this paper analyzed a total of 58 libel cases in which 'public interest' was mentioned by Korean courts between 1981 and 2000. It was found that whereas truth or believed-to-be-true defense is emphasized In libel cases by politicians or public officials, public interest defense was emphasized in the cases by private figures. It was also found that Korean courts tended to think of matters related with 1) national security and social order, 2) prevention of asocial crime, 3) enlightening of public, and 4) protection of consumers' interest as public interest. Conclusively, 'public interest' is not simply applied as an independent legal defense, because Korean courts insistently concentrated on the truth of a story and did not even specifically define what is public interest. Constitution Court recently maintained that the slope of legal defense should be broadened when a story is about public matters. However, Korean courts will not be likely to accept public interest defense as an independent one for the time being.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.29
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• pp.233-269
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• 2005

The purpose of the study is to explore the characteristics of lawsuits against investigative reporting programs of the broadcast media. This study proposed three research questions: (1) what were the characteristics of court derisions on the investigative reporting programs? (2) what were the reasonings on which judges rely in the lawsuits for a right of reply? (3) what were the critical issues and how the libel laws were applied in balancing between the freedom of the press and the protection of individual rights. To answer these questions, the study employed quantitative and qualitative methods analysing 35 related cases. This study revealed that investigative reporting programs must deal with the Issues of 'public figures' and 'matters of public concern' to be protected under the freedom of the press. The study also found that the broadcast media must prove legitimate public interests and the truth of the facts to prevail in a case. In 1999, the Constitutional Court of Korea held that pubic figures in libel cases must be regarded differently from private figures. In accordance with the decision, the Supreme Court has applied differing criteria for public figures in libel cases. However, courts have not set a clear definition of the public figure yet. To advocate the freedom of the press, as the results of this study indicate, TV producers and journalists should behave lawfully in the course of newsgathering and provide the opportunities of reply for their news sources.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.41
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• pp.108-144
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• 2008

This study examines how the watchdog concert in journalism field has been created and develope4 Related studies found that the watchdog is related not so muck with free press theory as with a privilege awarded to the press because the press serves for the public interests. It was found that in the U.S., the watchdog concept was derived from the a lot of libel cases in the late 1890s. At the time, the newspaper owners and editors continuously claimed the very protection over vulnerability of newspaper's collecting, reporting, and printing news. While, in Korea, the concept of watchdog emerged in the late 1990s after the establishment of the Constitution Court. Even though the watchdog concert was accepted very late by the Korean courts, it is believed to be a kind of special privilege to prevent the press from being recklessly regulated in libel cases. Rather, the Korean courts expand the extent of the role of the press as a watchdog by deciding that not only the public officials and politicians but also other socially influential public figures could be included in the criticism from the press. However, how these court decisions can be practically implemented depends upon how the court apply the probability of the press to believe the news true and intention of malice in writing and publishing the stories.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.42
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• pp.140-167
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• 2008

This study analyzes the legal reasoning of Seoul Central District Court, which imposed legal liability on portals for posting defamatory user replies to news articles, written and provided by the news media, onto their 'News Windows'. Saddling portals with the burden of verifying the facts associated in news articles and imposing the legal obligation as a publisher entail a grave risk of impairment of free flow of information and freedom of expression. Of course, it would ultimately result in tightening up private censorship of information which the Constitution does not allow, and funker keep portals from posting even news articles in which expressed views and opinions are lawful. When judging whether portals should assume liability fur libelous user replies to news articles, it is necessary to distinguish the territory under the direct authority of portals from cafes and bulletin boards managed by third parties. In addition, imposing legal liability above the level of common carrier should be limited to the cases; when portals arbitrarily change the contents of news articles or when the articles portals changed contain libelous contents. Even if those conditions are met, the altered contents should obviously constitute libel. Only in the presence of proof that portals knew the illegality of news articles and did not take proper steps including deleting those replies, should portals not be considered as an accomplice. Nor should portals take responsibility for users' defamatory replies for those reasons.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.1-26
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• 2019

Now we are facing with a possibility of having crimes, which have been only possible offline, in cyber spaces as well.Especially, a recent growth in the use of SNS, promoted by popularization of smart phones, also has led an abrupt increase in cyber crime. It would be important to have a understanding of cyber crime and its characteristics by type as well as factors associated with each type of cyber crime in order to devise appropriate preventive measures against cyber crime. However, most of the previous studies on cyber crimesolely made through literature review or indirect approaches. Therefore, this study has been designed to conduct the interview with actual suspects(criminals) of cyber crime to address factors of cyber crime and to devise specific preventive measures and countermeasures against cyber crime. Especially, among various types of cyber crime, this study aims at addressing the 'trades' and 'financial transaction' of crimes committed using the information and communication network and the 'cyber libel/insult'of crimes committed using unlicensed contents, which have been soared recently and become significant issues. The findings of this study could be beneficial for the society since it has managed to conduct the interview and reveal relationships among major factors of cyber crime. The findings of this study could be used for devising and developing proper preventive and countermeasures against cyber crime, in turn reducing and preventing its damage.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.227-233
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• 2012

Recently, violence in cyberspace has been increasing and it causes not only severe emotional distress to the victims but also hampers a healthy cyber culture. This paper aims to find out about characteristics and the actual state of Cyber-Violence, and Evaluate the measures concerning it. Cyber crime is characterized as non face to face, anonymity, non-limitary, difficulties in attracting evidence, the Cyber Violence of these cyber crimes was shown in the form of cyber-insult, cyber-defamation, cyber-stalking, circulation of cyber-pornography, and that is the reality there are lack of practical measures. As a measure for protection the establishment of positive laws are needed on the cyber-contempt, adopting the Internet real-name system, strengthening the ISP's responsibility and legislation for criminal penalties. As a more fundamental measure, a greater effort of netizen's self-purification and systematic training and promotion for the prevention of damage is necessary.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.177-183
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• 2012

There occur various crimes in cyber space hiding behind anonymity to avoid punishment by criminal law. One of the most serious crimes committed in cyber space is defamation against others under the cloak of freedom of expression. The infringements by defamations in cyber space are made all of a certain and widespread that the victims have no time to react, and for that reason, the shocks by the defamation are much serious and severe compared with that committed in off line. However, press and publication shouldn't infringe on other's honors, right, public order or social ethics in liberal democrat society which values much the human dignities and values as stipulated in Article 21 section 4 of the Constitution. Protection of personal honor is also the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution as much as the freedom of expression, and by extension, such harmful behaviour shouldn't be included in the freedom of expression area. In this way, slander can be considered as the minimum limitation of the freedom of expression.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2019

This study focused on violent act, such as verbal offensive and other acts of violence such as cyber bullying, personal information infringement. Online bullying is seriously taking place online, as juvenile violence is seriously debated due to recent school violence. In particular, it is necessary to seek countermeasures by considering the nature of cyber violence in cyberspace, particularly when stalking victims in cyberspace have died from stalking. The study examines the problem of defamation and defamation of character and tries to identify problems. Measures were taken to enact cyber defamation laws. To this end, the Commission analyzed cases of defamation and defamation of character and considered legal precedents. The study intends to study cyber defamation and defamation of character. First, I want to differentiate between cyber libel and defamation of character. Second, I intend to raise the need for cyber defamation of cybercrime and consider the offence of contempt for the criminal justice system. Third, seek ways to protect against cyber defamation and defamation of character.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.155-163
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• 2011

Rumor or abusive web postings in internet has become a social issue. Web postings may be proposed on evidence in form of a screenshot in libel suit, but a screenshot can be easily modified by computer programs. A person can make ill use of the screenshot which is modified deliberately original contents to opposite meaning in a lawsuit. That makes an innocent person to be punished because it can have difficulties to verify despite analyzing the server data. A screenshot of web postings is likely to fail to prove its authenticity and it is not able to reflect the fact. If notarization for web postings is offered, clear and convincing evidence can be submitted in a court. So, related techniques and policies should be established In this paper, we propose some technical and legal conditions and design for notarization and archive system of web postings for litigation.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.34
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• pp.161-195
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• 2006

Standing to sue has become one of the most important and controversial issues in suits between the press and the victims injured by the press reports. Even thought Korean law was patterned after the European legal system, there is no denying that the Korean Constitution was influenced by that of the United States. The judicial system was also influenced by its counterpart in the United States. The doctrine of standing to sue has plagued the U.S. Supreme Court for several decades. The traditional test of standing in the federal courts was, at the beginning of the century, whether the interest asserted by the plaintiff amounted to a 'legal right', entitled to the protection of the common law. In recent years, the Supreme Court seems to have settled on a two-tiered method for determining whether a plaintiff has standing to sue in federal court. The first level of inquiry is the constitutional core, and the second is the judicially imposed prudential limitations. The purpose of this study is to find out the doctrine of standing in the legal proceedings caused by the press reports. The press needs to internally transform as well to prevent legal dispute, enforcing confirmation when collecting news materials and building up the device for pre-examining the news. The press is also requested to help sincerely the victim recover, realizing that they waste their reputation and credit not to mention a lot of time and monet during the legal dispute.