The World On arirang

Recently, the Korean literary world was taken by storm when accusations of plagiarism were leveled against famed Korean novelist Shin Kyung-sook. While she claimed at first that she hadn't read the work she had supposedly plagiarized, later she conceded that although she had no recollection of it, it was possible that she had read the work a long time ago and had used parts of it in her own novel unconsciously. In light of this controversy there have been calls for stricter and clearer rules and regulations regarding plagiarism. Yet the regulations must differ from industry to industry. The rules that define plagiarism in the music industry may not apply to literature, after all. Other voices say that it's high time we have a deeper discussion about defining plagiarism before we enact any new laws. What makes a work plagiarized? How much of a role does intent play? Can plagiarism occur unintentionally? If it is unintentional, is it still plagiarism? This week, Shooters asks, "Plagiarism: can it be accidental?"