Why society needs a vaccine against online verbal violence

Min Byoung-chul

The author is the chairman of Sunfull Foundation, K-Respect Society and an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang University.

Online verbal violence in our society has escalated beyond mere psychological harm to individuals — it has reached the level of a social disaster that shakes the very foundation of our community. Malicious comments, or akpul, hurled from behind the mask of anonymity are like an invisible knife inflicting irreparable, fatal wounds on their victims. It is time to move decisively away from the reactive approach of tracking down perpetrators after the damage is done. The moment has come for our entire society to administer a powerful, pre-emptive digital vaccine against the epidemic spreading through the digital world.

The blade of cyberbullying now cuts across all fields and borders without discrimination. Recently, baseball player Choo Shin-soo filed charges against those who subjected his family to unspeakable abuse and degradation. Even a veteran sports star, hardened by a lifetime of competition, had no choice but to seek justice through the law when faced with such inhumane attacks on his loved ones. A middle school student from a multicultural family was reported to have suffered hate speech, verbal violence and physical assault both online and offline, causing widespread public outrage. Britain's Prince Harry, meanwhile, has been engaged in a fierce legal battle spanning more than a decade against major platform companies, demanding accountability for relentless cyberbullying. This demonstrates that malicious online comments are not merely a problem for specific individuals or nations — they are a global digital epidemic that civilized society must confront together.

Most heartbreaking of all is the recent tragic news of a veteran commentator who had long resonated deeply with Korean society. Even an intellectual who spent a lifetime illuminating society with sharp writing and reasoned argument was ultimately driven to take his own life under the relentless assault of cruel digital violence. Each time such an incident occurs, public outrage flares and calls for prevention grow louder — yet there is no way in this world to fully restore a life destroyed or a soul torn apart.

The fundamental solution, in the end, lies in prevention. This is precisely the philosophy at the heart of the Sunfull Movement, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. Particularly noteworthy are the findings from an analysis conducted by the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education among schools in its district during the movement's early expansion phase. Schools that adopted and practiced the Sunfull Movement achieved a reduction of more than 50 percent in school violence compared to before its introduction. This demonstrates that a culture of positive language and mutual respect is the most powerful way to work with students' emotions and curb violent tendencies.

Institutional reform is urgently needed to make character education truly effective. Just as the most effective way to improve English conversation skills among Koreans would be to increase the weighting of practical English in the college entrance exam, meaningful character education is only complete when Sunfull volunteer hours are recorded in students' school life records and genuinely reflected in university admissions. However, since the 2024 admissions cycle, extracurricular volunteer activities have been classified as non-applicable to university admissions, causing youth participation in community service to plummet by more than 80 percent — and effectively blocking the recognition of Sunfull activity hours and their entry into school records.

A child who picks up litter from the roadside grows up never to litter carelessly. The digital world is no different. The experience of writing words of encouragement and comfort to others is the most reliable form of character education for cultivating empathy. The mechanical standard of admissions fairness must not be allowed to rob children of this precious educational opportunity. It is not too late to restore the institutional pathway through which Sunfull activities are reflected in school records.

Furthermore, the environment we now face is one in which generative AI technology has become widespread, propelling the production and spread of malicious content into a state of hyperacceleration. It is now possible to exploit AI to generate tens of thousands of sophisticated hate expressions in an instant. Voluntary grassroots movements alone have already reached their limits in confronting this enormous tide. The Ministry of Education and relevant government bodies must elevate Sunfull activities to a core character education task within the regular curriculum, and lower institutional barriers so that students can exercise a positive influence in the digital environment.

The role of platform companies such as Naver and Kakao is especially critical. Having achieved remarkable growth as channels of communication, they bear equal responsibility for healing the harms their platforms have enabled. We look to them to go beyond technical filtering and take the lead in providing systemic support and contributing to the public good for the spread of Sunfull culture. Only when internet platforms become warm squares of encouragement rather than outlets for hatred will the true social value of these companies shine through.

A further word to the political world, as the June 3rd local elections approach. The torrent of crude language and malicious comments that floods every election season is a sickness unto democracy itself. We wish to see candidates of dignity who earn the people's votes through policy and vision, not through cutting remarks. Freedom of expression is not a weapon to trample the human rights of others. It is more urgent to cultivate one Sunfull commenter than to punish one malicious one. Government, business, and the political world must all unite in promoting the “Sunfull vaccine” to establish a mature internet culture.