Investigation launched into suicide sites

Prosecutors and police have launched a full investigation of the internet "suicide" site that has rocked the nation recently.

In response to the investigation by the authorities, a few of the operators of the internet suicide homepages have said that the purpose of their sites was the prevention of suicide and would not close down the service as requested by prosecutors and the police.

The Seoul District Prosecutor's Office computer crime division revealed Sunday that a thorough examination of the sites would be made to discover whether the sites promoted suicide or provided a forum where the suicidal and hire killers could meet. Of the 30 or so sites dealing with the issue of suicide, the prosecutors have begun in-depth investigation of six to seven sites that have posted suicide methods suicide.

Investigators of the Nowon area of Seoul have discovered that a 19 year-old hired killer, currently under arrest for murder of a suicidal person, has had numerous contacts with 10 or so other people, including a member of a suicide site. A 23 year-old woman is also under investigation for having introduced the now-deceased suicidal person to the killer.

The cyber-crime investigative division of the Seoul Police is currently putting together a list of those who have posted messages that urge suicide to discover the actual purpose of such sites. For those sites whose members have had off-line meetings, the police plan to summon the site operators to discover the true intentions the meetings.