Friend getting sued over online game

Someone swore at me Mr.  Policeman.  Please fight my battles for me. 

I have yet to hear of an American getting charged or fined by the police because someone called them a name or swore at them.  Also I don't know of any pastors being charged for speaking from the pulpit on their convictions.  I don't know of any election campaigns where your ability to campaign is severely limited.  I don't know of amy incident where criticism of the US President gets the justice department going after you.  All of these restrictions do apply in Korea.  So, that survey or whatever it is had better change their metrics and re take their survey

We pay attention to what we want to pay attention to. Such is the trouble with the information age, unfortunately.

You may be entirely right that everything you've experienced points to one thing -- but that's true for only you, a subset of one in a world of over 7.5 billion.
because of this, anecdotes are no substitute for well derived statistics.


Also, rather than arguing that every large, highly accredited census organization is wrong and must be part of a grand conspiracy, maybe you should examine your biases and think about how that may be affecting your opinions.

What's next, thought crimes? 

Uhm, I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure if one lawyer tried the "Sexual harassment is free speech and stopping it takes on the path to thought crimes" defense, the other lawyer would probably cream his pants instantly.

And no, laws against sexual harassment don't stop because you're playing an online game.

Again though, if there was an exchange, there's a good chance her team said something too. Countersue. Your friend has the right to be free from harassment and defamation and all that just as much as she does.

That being said, if there's some organization behind them and they've already had counsel look over it...not looking so great. Then again, the small sum is probably an indicator of the strength of the case.

But yeah, if OP's friends initiated the online argument and insults, and made sexual harassing remarks, and the other party did not engage in any defamatory or harassing speech, they could really be in a pickle and frankly, it might be better to settle at 3 million won than have it go to court, have the Women's League and their lawyers going after you and getting sued for 10 million or whatever and this blowing up.

Also, behind the Women's League is League of Legends themselves. They aren't going to be on the side of "League of Legends welcomes sexual harassment during its gameplay"

We pay attention to what we want to pay attention to. Such is the trouble with the information age, unfortunately.

You may be entirely right that everything you've experienced points to one thing -- but that's true for only you, a subset of one in a world of over 7.5 billion.
because of this, anecdotes are no substitute for well derived statistics.


Also, rather than arguing that every large, highly accredited census organization is wrong and must be part of a grand conspiracy, maybe you should examine your biases and think about how that may be affecting your opinions.

All the things I mentioned aren't based on feelings or opinions.  There is no law saying you must be arrested or fined for those things or have restrictions placed on your speech.  Constitution guarantees it and if you can post a news story of an arrest for telling someone to F off in the US, I'll certainly recant my words. 

Someone swore at me Mr.  Policeman.  Please fight my battles for me. 

What happened was decades of sexual harassment in which women had no recourse until finally they were able to enact laws and get enforcement ensuring they could go into a cafe or sit in a class or go to work and not be sexually harassed, especially by someone more physically imposing. Hence, why police exist.

The "It's just a little sexual harassment. Tough it out dearie, don't run to the cops like some weakling" defense is not a good one.

Seriously dude, do you even think before you type? In your deluded brain do you picture yourself in court saying these sorts of things and then the whole courtroom bursting into applause?

You know on those court shows how some defendants are so braindead and say the dumbest things and you wonder if someone could actually be that stupid as to say something like that in front of a judge? Well.....

All the things I mentioned aren't based on feelings or opinions.  There is no law saying you must be arrested or fined for those things or have restrictions placed on your speech. 

You are using anecdotal examples to argue that ranking South Korea above the United States is wrong.
While your particular examples may be correct (not going to argue that they're not), only a statistical approach can really prove whether something like this is correct or not.

Hence my mini lecture on avoiding the use of anecdotes for determining the veracity of large-scale phenomenon.

If you can post a news story of an arrest for telling someone to F off in the US, I'll certainly recant my words. 

In the US, people are often arrested for swearing at officers. Sometimes the charges are dropped as in this case of a single "F*** You!".
Other times, a case can be made for disorderly conduct, such as in this case.

Either way, people are quite regularly arrested for nothing more than  swearing.

I'll have your recant done in Iambic pentameter, please. 

and yes that's my first reaction when a student tells me someone called them a name "man this kid is a p#$$y" ...

This is what we're teaching stepkiddo.

  You're stupid/ugly/fat etc

  Oh, THANK YOU! (sarcastic enthusiasm Level 100) *walks away*

Obviously prolonged bullying is a different issue, but the last thing I want is for her to just fall down crying at this kind of stuff. Bullies love a victim and if you you can just dish a bit of sass back and act like it doesn't bother you, BOOM.

@ OP: Yes, defamation and harassment claims can be made even if the offense was committed online. Swearing directly at someone is regarded as both a form of verbal assault and defamation in Korea, so yeah, people can be sued or charged for either, even if it was done online. As long as all individuals reside in Korea, files can be charged. Most people don't bother to sue for stuff like that, though, because the payout isn't usually worth the cost of suing. It really feels like your friend might've been targeted by someone who's hoping that he won't challenge it.

Going through the process will be more stressful and inconvenient than anything else, but it really depends on what was said (the nature of it), where it was said (under what context), and for how long it carried on.

I HEARD, don't take this is 100% true, this is from memory, but there was an altercation in a parking lot in Busan between a wayg and an ajeossi and the wayg said, "Are you fuc*ing insane?" and the ajeossi sued him for defamation and won.

I remember reading a similar story, might've been the same one.

What's funny is I also remember another story about an wayg/adjeossi altercation where the adjeossi had sworn at and even threatened the wayg in English. Wayg wanted to file against the adjeossi for it but the officer who arrived on scene said he wouldn't because it only mattered if the adjeossi had sworn in Korean. I think the claim was that since the adjeossi had said it in a different language, it didn't carry the same weight because he probably didn't fully understand what he was saying, lmfao. Like it didn't matter, even if he was issuing threats.

Actually, I might have read about that story here because I also remember a bunch of follow-up posts with users going, "Well, then, from now on I'll just swear at them in another language, that'll be my get-out-of-defamation free card."

I don't know how true that story is and I'm sure I'm getting some details wrong, but it felt like bullshit logic to me.

sorry my intention wasn't clear. that was supposed to be /s.  i just meant that i wouldn't blame or look down on a student for being a victim

You are using anecdotal examples to argue that ranking South Korea above the United States is wrong.
While your particular examples may be correct (not going to argue that they're not), only a statistical approach can really prove whether something like this is correct or not.

Hence my mini lecture on avoiding the use of anecdotes for determining the veracity of large-scale phenomenon.
In the US, people are often arrested for swearing at officers. Sometimes the charges are dropped as in this case of a single "F*** You!".
Other times, a case can be made for disorderly conduct, such as in this case.

Either way, people are quite regularly arrested for nothing more than  swearing.

I'll have your recant done in Iambic pentameter, please. 

This is not the same thing,  A woman's son who was racing police and the mom came out to swear and yell at cops?  Not the same thing as telling someone off on the street or using a swearword on the internet in a chat.  It seems like she was making threats and was going to act.  It's a bit different from telling some rude ajossi to F off or using a couple of bad words on the internet.   Everything else I mentioned before does stand and is true in Korean law. 

I remember reading a similar story, might've been the same one.

What's funny is I also remember another story about an wayg/adjeossi altercation where the adjeossi had sworn at and even threatened the wayg in English. Wayg wanted to file against the adjeossi for it but the officer who arrived on scene said he wouldn't because it only mattered if the adjeossi had sworn in Korean. I think the claim was that since the adjeossi had said it in a different language, it didn't carry the same weight because he probably didn't fully understand what he was saying, lmfao. Like it didn't matter, even if he was issuing threats.

Actually, I might have read about that story here because I also remember a bunch of follow-up posts with users going, "Well, then, from now on I'll just swear at them in another language, that'll be my get-out-of-defamation free card."

I don't know how true that story is and I'm sure I'm getting some details wrong, but it felt like bullshit logic to me.

He should have gotten a lawyer and filed a national complaint if he really wanted to push it.  Either way, it would have mattered if the foreigner said it.  It is a racist double standard and the waygook in question shouldn't have let it go. 

This is what we're teaching stepkiddo.

  You're stupid/ugly/fat etc

  Oh, THANK YOU! (sarcastic enthusiasm Level 100) *walks away*

Obviously prolonged bullying is a different issue, but the last thing I want is for her to just fall down crying at this kind of stuff. Bullies love a victim and if you you can just dish a bit of sass back and act like it doesn't bother you, BOOM.

Yeah, obviously if there was violence or death threats or something, that would be different.  If all kids were picking on one that would be different if it happened frequently.  But if someone calls you a name, call them a name back and be done with it.  Going and crying to the police over being called a name or sworn at is the sign of a p#$$y and only something that a d0u(hb@g would do.  Called a name, not threatened with violence or anything else?  Get real.

I think it's fair if they're allowed to swear at me in Korean and I can curse in English.  Although, judging by the reactions to the music played at my gym I'm not sure anyone would recognize an English swear word anymore.  They might just think I was talking to them like an elementary school student or singing the song they always play at the gym, "Bitches and Whores, all F*ckin' on my C*ck."

I think it's fair if they're allowed to swear at me in Korean and I can curse in English.  Although, judging by the reactions to the music played at my gym I'm not sure anyone would recognize an English swear word anymore.  They might just think I was talking to them like an elementary school student or singing the song they always play at the gym, "Bitches and Whores, all F*ckin' on my C*ck."

If they would charge you for saying it though....

If you can post a news story of an arrest for telling someone to F off in the US, I'll certainly recant my words. 

 Case 1: "Thurairajah yelled “F— you” out his car window at State Trooper Lagarian Cross. Cross responded by getting in his vehicle and arresting Thurairajah for disorderly conduct."
Case 2: "She then yelled at a lieutenant: “You f—ing crooked a– cop” and “You’re a b—-.” ...Officers charged her with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct."

This is not the same thing...

 

What happened was decades of sexual harassment in which women had no recourse until finally they were able to enact laws and get enforcement ensuring they could go into a cafe or sit in a class or go to work and not be sexually harassed, especially by someone more physically imposing. Hence, why police exist.

The "It's just a little sexual harassment. Tough it out dearie, don't run to the cops like some weakling" defense is not a good one.

Seriously dude, do you even think before you type? In your deluded brain do you picture yourself in court saying these sorts of things and then the whole courtroom bursting into applause?

You know on those court shows how some defendants are so braindead and say the dumbest things and you wonder if someone could actually be that stupid as to say something like that in front of a judge? Well.....

Agreed

The 'Metoo' movement had a delayed but dramatic effect on South Korea, blowing open lids on massive scandals left and right. There's also the national embarrassment of spy-cam porn which has gone global. Right now, everyone is on high-alert for anything resembling sexual harassment, particularly the police. The police have come under close scrutiny and criticism as they're infamous for downplaying and ignoring sexual harassment and their reputation has gone global.

In the interests of PR, you're going to see a knee-jerk reaction with the police attempting to save face by taking legitimate and trivial claims of sexual harassment seriously. This is just my theory, but since few countries have effective measures for harassment online, South Korea, with it's citizens having a major online presence, is going to try to lead the way and clean up it's image by policing online in-game conversations.

Goes without saying, but don't act like a knob and you'll have nothing to worry about.

it didn't carry the same weight because he probably didn't fully understand what he was saying, lmfao. Like it didn't matter, even if he was issuing threats.

    죽을레?

*Police sirens, proceed to Courthouse directly, Do not pass GO.

  You mean it isn't about Juggling?

  Case Dismissed!

"Well, then, from now on I'll just swear at them in another language, that'll be my get-out-of-defamation free card."

바 트 페르 풋르 파프 레 그렉.  10 points to translate this into English.

Whoa lots of replies to this.  Sorry I won't be able to answer everyone but in general, it sounds like this is actually quite common in Korea.  I always heard about Korean laws being very strict about such things like libel defamation.  He said that he and his buddies didn't even know if the opponent was a male or female.  So I don't think he would have said anything directed to women only, but he must've said a bunch of things with his friends that really offended her and she somehow hooked up with some kind of Department called the Women and Youth division and they must have told her how to sue him for sexual harassment or something along that lines.  I can see it totally happening.

Looks like I'll just have to advise him to pay the settlement fine so he doesn't have to spend the next 3 months or 3 years going back and forth to court to deal with it even though he could mostly likely lower it down from 2k-3k fine to just a couple hundred or something.  Probably not worth it in my opinion since this guy is well-off financially so he says paying it is no problem but he was just so upset and shocked that someone would actually sue him and his buddies over an online game.   He says everyone does it all the time, it's just chatting.  He never thought he'd be so unlucky to get sued.

some kind of Department called the Women and Youth division

Sounds like a Hitler Youth brigade circa Oceania.

There is one other thing I'd like to add.  I think Korea uses something called Real Name Verification?  This is like verifying your identity whenever you sign up for any game or online site.   You are basically giving them your full and real information about you and where you live and contact info etc.

This is why I hate the idea of actually having to submit your real INFO just to play games online or use any online services.  Anonymity is always preferred like it was in the past.  Of course, if you want to make in game purchases, you'll most likely be giving up your real ID anyways with financial information.  But I suppose you could always just pay via gaming cards so you don't have to link any real info to your account.

So that's why it's so easy for them to track you down because whatever you do so awful in the game, they can easily find out who you are, where you live, and report you to the police.  That sucks.     

Either never give out your real info when signing up for anything
OR
If you have to link your real ID to it, then you had better be on your best behavior because anything you say or do can be easily linked to you!

+1 for anonymity.

This world is trying to get rid of all anonymity and that sucks.