For the past eight years, the singer and actress Suzy has been embroiled in a battle against an online troll. Her perseverance, culminating in a final court verdict, is drawing attention as a potential turning point in the crackdown on cyberbullying.

On July 27, the Supreme Court of Korea (led by Chief Justice An Cheol-sang) confirmed the final judgment to fine a 40-year-old individual, referred to as Mr. A, 500,000 KRW (approximately 430 USD) for defamation.

Previously, in 2015, Mr. A had left derogatory comments on articles related to Suzy such as, "She's a bubble created by media-play. She's just a national hotel girl," and "Why attach the failed movie flopper Suzy to B? JYP's media-play is disgusting." Suzy had consequently filed a defamation lawsuit against Mr. A.

The initial court deemed Mr. A's comments as crossing the line of lawful freedom of expression, and sentenced him to a fine of 1,000,000 KRW (approximately 860 USD). However, the appellate court's ruling differed. The court acknowledged the excessive nature of the language but regarded it within the realm of freedom of expression, stating, "Considering that celebrities are the focus of public attention, the standards applied in assessing defamation should be different from those applied to non-celebrities."

The court decided that the term "national hotel girl" was merely a sarcastic jab using a promotional catchphrase of the entertainment industry, derived from previous reports of Suzy's dating news. Hence, they pronounced Mr. A not guilty.

The prosecution then appealed the acquittal, escalating the case to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court agreed that phrases like "washed-up," "movie flop," and "bubble" are rough but within the boundaries of free expression and hence hard to punish. However, it concluded that the term "national hotel girl" used by Mr. A was indeed derogatory, describing it as a "humiliating expression that could damage the social reputation of the female celebrity victim." The court thus returned the case to the appellate court for reconsideration.

Following the Supreme Court's directive, the appellate court again tried the case and decided to fine Mr. A 500,000 KRW. Despite Mr. A's subsequent appeal, the Supreme Court dismissed it, affirming that the original judgment was justified. Thus, Suzy was able to conclude her eight-year-long struggle.

The issue of celebrities facing cyberbullying isn't a recent problem. Every day, countless malicious comments continue to be produced targeting various entertainers. The bitter reality is that despite the legal actions taken by celebrities, eliminating cyberbullying remains an uphill battle, causing many to become desensitized. Nevertheless, amidst such circumstances, Suzy has fought for eight long years, ultimately leading Mr. A to be charged with defamation and fined. Her persistence serves as a vital lesson. However, there are voices calling for stricter punishments, citing the current fines as insufficient.

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