South Korean pop culture has become nothing less than a global phenomenon over the last decade or so. Korean pop music or K-pop is now loved all over the world for its distinctive blend of high-quality production, slick choreography, and addictive melodies. The ever-growing popularity of K-pop can also be attributed to an endless parade of highly talented performers singing and dancing in synchronized perfection. Unfortunately, however, K-pop has often hit the headlines for wrong reasons, as well.

Entire South Korea and the world of pop music were shocked to silence in late 2019 when two renowned K-pop superstars committed suicide within a month because of vicious personal attacks and cyberbullying. Goo Hara, a popular k-pop singer, was found dead in her home, leaving behind a handwritten note that revealed her despondency about life as a whole. According to local media, she was repeatedly ridiculed and harassed online because of her relationships with men. 

Hara had always raised her voice against cyberbullying. Earlier in 2019, she was found unconscious in her home and had to be hospitalized. Later on, she confessed that she was suffering from depression. Since then, Hara has been repeatedly involved in fighting malicious comments online. Hara's friend Sulli, a strong voice against cyberbullying, was also found dead a month before Hara under suspicious circumstances. 

This incidence shifted the focus of entire South Korea on how vulnerable youngsters fall prey to personal attacks and cyberbullying. Unfortunately, these cases mostly go unpunished. Law enforcement authorities around the world consider cyber violence to be a very serious crime and different programs are organized to educate people on remaining safe from the online predators. According to cybersecurity experts, there were nearly 150,000 reported cases of cyberbullying in the year 2019.  However, this probably represents a minuscule of the actual number of cases because a high percentage of instances remain unreported.  

Kwon Young-chan, a former comedian who is now a counselor, has herself been a victim of cyber violence. She feels that it is practically impossible for emerging celebrities to avoid rumors and personal attacks.  Unfortunately, when they come under such attacks, they have little recourse.  She informs that both Sulli and Hara started as parts of their girl bands and later decided to perform solo. This probably made them more vulnerable because now they had to deal with personal attacks and depressions on their own. 

The rising trend of cybercrimes in South Korea also caught the attention of the former presidential spokeswoman Park Sun-sook. According to her, every individual should have the right to request any web-portal to remove comments that are blatantly false and/or malicious. 

Noted cybersecurity firm Xamin recommends all internet users, particularly the youngsters, to follow adequate safety measures to stay safe from cybercrimes. 

• Keep all passwords private, even from the closest of friends.

• Learn thoroughly about reporting features and privacy settings on every social media platform.

• Exercise extreme caution while sharing any content on social media.

• Block offenders without any delay. 

• Report the incident immediately to the local law enforcement authority.