While some (read: me) have postulated that the wisdom of social networks could sometimes lead to mob rule, the BBC reports that in the most networked placed on Earth its gone far beyond flame wars within the blogosphere.

And it seems like South Korea has been experiencing the effects of flash mobs gone vicious.

In a society where social networking is as popular as meeting up for a drink, information spreads quickly … Online mobs first demonise those they disagree with, then the victim’s home address, credit card details, and even their boss’s phone numbers get passed around.

All of Korea’s police stations now have a cyber terror unit to help deal with the problem. The number of cases referred to Korea’s Internet Commission tripled last year.

With the rise in broad band access, could other nations and cultures see the same rise in cyber bullying?  And if it ever gets out of hand — how would it be dealt with?  South Korea seems to be taking a fairly heavy handed approach, as the Government seems intent on passing laws asking its netizens to register a real name and ID before they post opinions online.