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[Herald Interview] The professor campaigning for human rights in cyberspace
10-year anniversary of ‘Sunfull Movement’ on cyberbullying issue draws attention overseas
A man put a question to a group of anonymous people. He asked, “Should I
die?” One person replied, “Yes, you should.” Another said, “Why don’t you give
me your iPhone before you kill yourself?”
These comments posted to an online chat site in an Asian country. The man
claimed that he had broken up with his girlfriend.
“(After a variety of comments were posted), the man was found to have really
killed himself,” Min Byoung-chul, professor at the College of International
Studies at Kyung Hee University, said during a recent interview with The Korea
Herald at his office in Seoul.
Min is the person who has been trying to spread a positive internet culture at
home and abroad over the past decade, though he is still better known as a
renowned English educator among most local citizens.
While there are a lot of entities that advocate for human rights across
the world, there is no particular tool to protect human rights in cyberspace --
a tool that Min says is urgently needed.
His initiative and organization, the “Sunfull Movement,” was introduced in 2007
to promote civility in cyberspace via the posting of positive comments as a way
to counterbalance negative comments and verbal abuse.
Many countries have focused on criminal punishment on cyberbullying as a simple
follow-up countermeasure. Min’s campaign is more proactive -- he is suggesting
that netizens post as many warm-hearted comments as possible.
The Sunfull Movement is a non-government organization that fights against
bullying and hate speech online, and the hurtful and potentially deadly impact
of malicious comments. Sunfull is a combination of the Korean word “sun” and is
derived from the Chinese character, meaning “good,” and “pull” (similar to
“full”) and translates to “reply” in English. This matches with the English for
“positive comment.”
“Our cyber-peace campaign, which is to be the first
of its kind in the world, started out in Korea and is spreading to other
countries including China and Japan,” Min said.
The spread is attributable to the condolences and encouraging comments for
victims of terror attacks or natural disasters in other countries.
Under active promotion of Min and his staff, comments containing condolences
and encouragement were posted to the Sunfull website by many Koreans and some
foreigners were delivered to bereaved families. Comment-adding was easily
accessible on the website (www.sunfull.or.kr).
“To resolve communication matters, our staff and volunteers provided
participants with a selection of prepared English sentences (that participants
could choose from) or translation services,” Min said.
Among the cases were the hurricanes Harvey, Irma & Maria, in the US and
Puerto Rico in 2017, the earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan in 2016, the IS terror
attacks in Paris in 2015, the earthquake in Ya’an, China in 2014 and the Sandy
hook Elementary school shooting in the US in 2012. More than 10,000 condolences
and encouraging comments were collected for each incident, with selected
comments delivered to the embassy or regional government.
The Sunfull Movement recently launched the Social Media Human Rights Committee.
The committee, composed of a group of doctors and lawyers, is to offer free
online counseling for those who suffered from malicious comments.
For a committee operation, the Sunfull Movement is scheduled to sign an MOU
with the Korean Psychiatrist Association in November to offer free online
psychological counselling for bullying victims.
“In addition to Korean victims, I would like to support the human rights of
foreigners residing here,” said the professor.
Two months ago, US Congress member Edward Royce sent a certificate of
recognition to the Sunfull Movement, recognizing the Sunfull Movement’s valiant
efforts in addressing the important issue of cyberbullying in the United
States.
The following is an excerpt from an interview with Professor Min.
Korea Herald: What did you feel operating
the Sunfull Movement?
Min Byoung-chul: Moving on to the next phase is important in life. Looking back
on my life, what I have done for society is the Sunfull Movement. Verbal abuse
inflicts pain on people and sometimes even takes lives. The movement is a
process of realizing the seriousness of the issue.
KH: How can the victims of verbal abuse
receive help from the movement?
Min: There are victims who are unable to receive proper help due to the
financial burden or the lack of knowledge. We can be of help to them, legally
or psychologically. For the victims who need legal advice, we offer a chance to
consult with volunteer lawyers for free. Also, the Sunfull Movement is to sign
a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Psychiatrist Association on Nov.
1, to provide free online psychological counselling for the victims.
KH: How does the system of positive comments
work?
Min: Whoever sees malicious comments on the internet can leave positive
comments that can offset the negative ones. For some issues, the campaign
collects the positive comments and delivers them to the scene. We actually
delivered collections of condolences and encouraging comments to the victims of
the earthquakes in Kumamoto Japan, Sichuan China and shooting tragedy in
Connecticut, in the US.
KH: Tell us about the damage that malicious
comments are causing.
Min: People think they are alone. All they need is support and encouragement.
When someone is at a psycological ‘low’ (lonely, depressed, stressed, sad,
feelings of hopelessness, etc.), negative online comments can be the last straw
that pushes someone to make a terrible decision. On the other hand, a
positive word during these low times can provide hope and a more positive
perspective. That’s why we need the campaign, to let people know the
consequences of malicious comments.
KH: Can positive comments be the solution?
Min: The Sunfull Movement believes that good words have immense power. They can
dispel misunderstandings between people and countries. We once planned to do a
campaign in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, to share supportive
words and encouragement between South Korean employers and North Korean
employees, but unfortunately we weren’t able to launch the campaign. We believe
that good and positive words can settle disputes, even between countries. We
hope to conduct campaigns in troubled parts of the world.
KH: What are your plans for the future?
Min: We would like to invite the Nobel Peace Prize recipients, to promote peace
on the Korean Peninsula. We also would like to work with cyberbullying prevention
centers in other countries to counter cyberbullying and hate speech.
KH: Tell us about your lectures in the
university.
Min: I teach students how to start their own businesses based on their
passion. The name of the course is “Business Creativity” In this course, each
student selects a field based on their passion and come up with a creative
business idea related to that field. Creating a new idea has always been the
core component in the advancement of mankind throughout the history. New ideas are
the secret weapon in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the 4th
industrial revolution as well.
KH: How can we study English more
effectively?
Min: The ultimate goal of learning English is to communicate. To enhance
communicative competence, you need to practice. For nine years, Jack Ma (the
founder of Alibaba) got up early every morning and rode his bike to the
Hangzhou Hotel, where he befriended foreign tourists and worked for free as a
tour guide in order to practice English. This is the secret to learn English.
KH: Why is it important to learn English?
Min: Learning English can change your life. More than 50 percent of the content
produced on the internet is in English. English will allow you access to a vast
amount of information and English is the major business language in the world
and if you want to enter a global workforce you need to speak English. For
example, if a store owner wishes to meet new customers and expand the business,
the owner needs to learn English. These days, opportunities of learning English
are everywhere. In other words, to connect the present with the future, one
needs to learn English.
[Profile of Min Byoung-chul]
Professor at Kyung Hee University
Doctorate of Education at Northern Illinois University
Korea’s leading English educator & counselor via major TV programs
Author of best-sellers including ‘Min Byoung-chul practical English’ ‘A
Good Person Will Succeed in the End’ and ‘Ugly Koreans Ugly Americans’
Founder & chairman of the Sunfull Movement
