[JoongAng Ilbo , National, Social affairs, October 7 2008] Crackdown on online rumors begins

An office worker identified only by the surname Kim recently received an e-mail from an acquaintance. The message had an attachment called “entertainer X-file 2” that contained private information about celebrities.

Though he was not sure whether or not it was true, Kim forwarded the message to a friend. It quickly spread across the Internet.

This type of gossip publication, known as a jjirasi, is similar to an attachment spread in 2005. It made its way around the securities industry and then out onto the Web. The message ended up creating a huge controversy, and police got involved.