With all the positive press Suzy has been getting lately, she has also been the victim of some negative attention. During the last year, her image has appeared in dozens of commercials and in promotions for "Gu Family Book," the number one drama that she starred in. But that's not the only place her image has appeared.
Images of the singer-actress have twice been photoshopped in a demeaning way and then uploaded to an Internet site. This week the most recent incident resulted in an arrest. The Gangnam Police reported that they arrested a teenager on Monday and the case has been sent to the prosecution. Although the person arrested is only 16 years old, the police said that the case was too serious to be pardoned.
The photoshopped images of Suzy appeared on the Korean Ilgan Best Community or Ilbe social media site. Ilbe describes itself as a humor-centered community website but it is known for its conservative agenda and it has been criticized for making statements that are derogatory to women. The photograph shown on the site featured the former president of South Korea, Roh Moo using a watch to hypnotize Suzy into thinking she was a cat. In the next photo a photoshopped feline Suzy is seen getting intimate with an entertainment CEO.
The image was uploaded on December 24, 2012. Around the same time, another photoshopped image showed Suzy engaging in intimate acts with the person who created the image. That case ended with the person apologizing to Suzy and her family. The charges were dropped.
JYP Entertainment, which represents Suzy, released a statement on their intentions in this case.
"We will listen to what the members have to say and then have discussions before making a decision," said the statement.
Netizens did not think the crime should be treated lightly. They felt that regardless of his age, the teen should be punished to make an example to others who might do the same thing.
"It's too serious to be called a prank," said one netizen. "He must take full responsibility. He definitely should not get off lightly."
Some netizens felt sorry for the teen, imagining how embarrassing it must be to go to the police station with your parents and for them to see what you photoshopped.
Others wondered what Suzy might have done to merit such negative attention from a politically conservative website. She has never spoken publicly about her political views. Probably she was just a victim of her own recent surge in popularity. The site has been known to be critical of former President Roh Moo, so his inclusion in the photos is no surprise.
When site users heard about the arrest, they insisted that such actions infringe on their freedom of expression.
