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A PUBLIC KOREAN EXECUTION NEWS

On December 27, 2023, South Korea was shocked by Parasite movie actor Lee Sun kyun's passing by an apparent suicide. He was 48. He left his wife, an accomplished actress and two young sons. His death has sparked outrage and it has become a huge international story with potential far reaching ramifications.

South Korea has exceptionally high standards for its public figures. The public basically demands perfection for their idols, actors, singers, politicians and business leaders. Even a rumor of behavior that is unseemly can result in a person being vilified on social media. It can cause great harm to reputation and lead to contract penalties in advertising contracts which are based on pure, innocent and morally high personal standards and accountability.

South Korea is also known for its private VIP clubs where wealthy (mostly men) go to drink and socialize with female bar hostesses. As the Burning Sun scandal turned over the dirty aspects of these clubs, such as drugs, prostitution, mokka and other criminal activities, they are still functioning in the shadows of law enforcement and public view.

The current South Korean President Yoon was elected on a conservative political platform that included zero tolerance towards drug use. South Korea has one of the strictest drug prohibition laws in the industrialized world. It may partially stem from ancient societal principles for hard work ethic and health of individuals for the prosperity of the nation. Yoon pushed the national police force to crack down on drug use in Korea. The focus then turned on high profile targets, celebrities, in order to warn everyone of the consequences of drug crimes. Normally, at the preliminary investigation stage, a potential suspectÕs name is not reported to the public. But Korea's current conservative President ran on a platform of zero tolerance, war on drugs. There was a clear political agenda to get high profile cases. (Ironically, Yoon's own wife is about to be indicated for a large stock manipulation scheme.)

Lee was caught up in a Gangnam VIP club drug bust when he was implicated by the female bar manager, Kim, who had SIX prior drug arrests on her record. Lee denied the charges and later claimed that he was being blackmailed by the manager after having paid Kim and her accomplice 400 million won or approximately $309,000 (US). The club manager also implicated seven other people, including singer G-Dragon (GD), in order to get favorable treatment in a plea deal for her own crimes and sentencing. GD's case was handled differently because he assembled his own team, including the top criminal defense attorney and former Supreme Court Justice, to handle the investigation. His team pushed back at the police demands for interrogations, got ahead of the public relations fallout, and submitted their client to several drug tests. Like Lee, all those drug tests came back negative. GD's team convinced the police that they had no objective evidence of GD's involvement in drugs, or whether he was even at the club - - to push the investigation file be closed.

That left the police pushing a case against Lee, whose name was first published after a rapid drug test came back negative. A more comprehensive drug test on Lee also came back negative but that did not stop more leaks about him to the press. This caused an immediate financial crisis for Lee and his family; sponsors withdrew their advertising (and demanded high contract breach penalties) and Lee lost a starring role in a new drama series. The financial losses were estimated by the local press to be in the millions of dollars.

Despite having no direct evidence of drug use, Lee's case continued for three long interrogations, including a 19 hour session just before his extreme decision (police are only allowed to interrogate a witness for 6 hours; no competent counsel would allow such a lengthy interrogation to take place. The police have stated that it followed all proper procedures and Lee had counsel throughout any interrogation.) At this preliminary investigation stage, the police are supposed to follow two basic rules: the subject is innocent until proven guilty and a suspect's identity shall remain private until a formal charge is filed by the prosecution. But appears none of that happened. The police continued to grind on Lee and his association with Kim because the police were desperate to make a case against him.

Despite the requirement for privacy, more details continue to leak in the press. It appears that Lee may have been at the VIP club, and he had a relationship the club manager. Lee's investigation went beyond the norm with the tabloid press to national media outlets publishing leaked information and speculation about the case, including alleged recorded phone messages and texts from the club manager to Lee. Clearly, the police and manager had been leaking information to the press to put Lee in a bad light. It was reported that Lee claimed that he was tricked into snorting white powder at the club thinking it was a sleeping pill. Adding to his woes were unverified netizen claims of infidelity by the actor.

He was being vilified by the court of public opinion and not a court of law. He was never formally charged with a crime, but the narrative about him was out of control. Then, on December 27, Koreans were shocked by Lee's extreme choice. Dispatch, a tabloid news organization, published a scathing article about the police conduct in LeeÕs case.(Ironically, in a few days Dispatch would normally run its dating scandal story which could ruin the career of a young female idol for dating an older actor - - to feed the parasocial, gossipy Korean couple culture.)

Several local journalists also berated their colleagues for publishing unverified and private matters without justification. International readers had a hard time understanding why a actor at the peak of his career could make such an extreme choice. Korea has the highest suicide rate in Asia. There are numerous factors that can come into play for a person in this situation. South Korea's suicide rate is the highest in the world; 37.5 people commit suicide daily or one every 39 minutes. Mental illness is still looked down upon by Korean society which discourages treatment for mental conditions. There is a negative stigma if one gets treated for mental health.

In a 2020 study of Korea suicide rates, the authors found many factors come into play: stress, depression (with a strong connection to heavy drinking culture), hopelessness, despair, burden to family, shame, guilt, work or school pressures, and expectations from others, It is a choice of self-determination for life and death with excessive negative affects perception of self and the world. Health, personal misfortune and social or cultural conditions are also in play.

Suicide has long been a way to preserve one's family honor in Asia. Unlike the West, where religions like Christianity view suicide as a sin carrying a negative connotation, suicide among Asian countries is seen as a means of atoning for disgrace, defeat, or any other dishonorable action or event. Many Asian parents hold dearly to the centuries-old culture of shame, family duty and honor so it often gets passed down to the next generation. So much so that if their children need help for issues related to low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, or any personal struggles, they can be seen as tarnishing the familyÕs prestige. The cultural explanation to Japanese suicide: “Death puts an end to everything, and the victim becomes a god, and becoming free of criticism.”

Lee was trying to clear his name. He was being blackmailed and falsely accused of drug crimes. Reports stated that he never admitted to knowing taking illegal drugs. He was a victim but treated like a criminal by investigators and the public. Once the leaks, rumors, and speculation grew it had to have a cascade effect on his mental health. Even if all the allegations were true, there was no need for it to end in a death sentence. A first time drug offender would have received either probation or mandatory drug education program. A habitual user or drug dealer could be sentenced to 6 months to 10 years in prison. Adultery as a crime was revoked in 2015. The leaks, speculation, gossip and rumors were like a mob execution.

His death was not a rational decision. It did not stop the advertising/endorsement contract penalties that were reported to be between $7-8 million (US) (Lee and his wife were long time spokespeople for various products due to their wholesome, family reputation.) It did not clear his name or reputation from the allegations. It did not help his young children who now have to grow up without their father.

We will never know the truth with Lee's passing. Even with the local outrage on how Lee and his privacy was violated, it probably will not be a cause for change in how police investigate, how the press covers celebrity scandals or how celebrities behave even though they are under a brutal, public microscope of a cancel culture. It is another example of society and community failing to recognize or support a person going through a difficult time.

cyberbarf

2024 RESOLUTIONS OUR PUBLISHER'S OBSERVATIONS

It seems like a constant reminder of things one should do as a matter of habit:

Resolve to do more hard back ups; do not rely upon the cloud in an emergency.

Resolve to do more frequent updates; hackers are now organized and efficient predators.

Resolve to be more proactive in getting news; multiple source articles from vetted sources.

Resolve to not let social media run your life.

Resolve to read an old fashion book.

Resolve to find new creative outlets away from a television or phone screen.

Resolve to travel more to explore the world in the wild.

Resolve to meet new people, if even for a short conversation.

Resolve to maintain a more healthy lifestyle, physically and mentally.

Resolve to go see more movies in the theater which are not crowded and not expensive.

cyberbarf

2024 PREDICTIONS OUR PUBLISHER'S OBSERVATIONS

Some general predictions for cyberculture in 2024:

Artificial Intelligence will start to splinter into its different functions as it goes through the court and regulatory systems. Art generators and chat word generators will come under great legal scrutiny with mixed results.

Consumer AI programs will become a trend then a fad when developers demand more money from them.

Business AI programs will be more imbedded in software but create more problems than solutions.

Space exploration including space tourism will wane because of the cost and dwindling interest.

The electric vehicle market bubble will burst with resale values plummet and maintenance costs soar.

More game streamers will burn out and turn into slice-of-life podcasters.

College football will essentially turn semi-pro after the 12 team playoff causes more resentment than entertainment value.

Streaming platforms will be under advertiser pressure to release real ratings for shows which will cause an industry revenue retreat.

The next great diet pill fad will turn out to have more side effects than benefits.

Industrialized nations birth rates will continue to decline as more young people lack the socialization, drive and commitment to marry and have families.

There will be another ancient conflict renewed between nations that could cause significant geo-political unrest.

NASA's planned 10 day fly around the Moon with astronauts will be delayed until 2025.

The Mars rovers will continue their stellar research with a surprising new find.

Taylor Swift will release another break-up song because that is what she does best.

iToons

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FOUND BUT NOT LOST ON THE INTERNET

NASA telescopes continue to bring us images of the universe in stunning detail. Just beofre the holidays, this solar system image reminded people of Xmas ornament. This continues to be the best non-human, non-AI generated art.

The Webb telescope also took this image of Uranus that appears to be a portal to another dimension. (Insert juvenile bathroom humor here.)

Source: NASA

A street vendor in Changsha, Southern China, decided it was a good idea to grill ice cubes in spicy chili sauce. He dabs on sauce then quick grills the cubes to which some taste a burnt taste. This really puts a new spin on ice cubes being chilly.

Source:Daily Mail (UK)

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THE WHETHER REPORT

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STATUS

Question: Whether key 2024 elections in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and the United States will have a global impact in diplomancy and foreign relations with China?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

Question: Whether a growing segment of society is getting lazy by waiting for robotic technology to make their life easier?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

Question: Whether the expansion of technology to everyone's daily life is creating a compression of emotional bandwidth in people?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

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