A disturbing sample of on-line hate speech and misinformation has emerged within the wake of the tragic Jeju Air aircraft crash at Muan Worldwide Airport, focusing on the victims and their grieving households.
For the reason that crash on Dec. 29, social media platforms and on-line communities have been inundated with hateful feedback and false narratives in regards to the victims and their households. Among the many most notable situations was a derogatory publish suggesting that the victims’ households had been “delighted” about receiving compensation supported by the federal government.
A person in his 30s was arrested for posting a remark that learn “Take into consideration how a lot the compensation for all these persons are, households with a number of deaths should be thrilled.” Different feedback included “Why do we’ve to grieve? They receives a commission,” and “The pilot of the crash simply wished to play the hero.”
READ: S. Korea says Jeju Air jet black bins stopped recording earlier than crash
Baseless rumors circulated in regards to the flight crew as effectively, falsely claiming that each the pilot and co-pilot had been ladies, fueling a surge of misogynistic feedback. Each had been recognized as male.
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Regional discrimination additionally surfaced, with focused hate speech aimed toward Muan Worldwide Airport and the encompassing area. South Korea has an extended historical past of regionalism, notably between the Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces. Labeling the incident because the “Muan crash” might unintentionally reinforce adverse stereotypes in regards to the Jeolla area. In response, the Transport Ministry emphasised that the official identify of the incident is “Dec. 29 Jeju Air aircraft crash.”
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This alarming development of hostility mirrors earlier nationwide tragedies. In each the Sewol Ferry catastrophe and the Itaewon crowd crush, bereaved households had been subjected to public mockery and dangerous narratives. Knowledge revealed that of the 46 defamation circumstances associated to the Sewol tragedy, 41 resulted in convictions. Equally, defamation circumstances linked to the Itaewon catastrophe had been reported to the police, with 17 forwarded to prosecutors.
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Koo Jeong-woo, a sociology professor at Sungkyunkwan College, pointed to an absence of empathy in society as a motive behind such backlash. “Complexity and extremism in society have left many remoted. And these folks have a tendency to precise their ideas in a weird and excessive approach in order that they will get consideration,” he stated.
The mocking of the victims and their households over compensation could stem from deep emotions of resentment and injustice, which may very well be fueling these hurtful feedback.
“For nationwide disasters such because the Sewol ferry catastrophe and Itaewon crowd crash, the federal government laid out a compensation assist fund. People who find themselves residing daily really feel the compensation is overrated and say the bereaved are getting ‘unfair therapy’ and that they’re making an enormous deal when everybody’s life is tough,” Koo added.
Below present South Korean legislation, people who publish defamatory or insulting content material on-line can face expenses equivalent to defamation of the deceased, insult, or obstruction of enterprise. Nonetheless, punishments have traditionally been minimal. For instance, an individual who posted a manipulated poster mocking Sewol Ferry victims’ households was fined just one million gained ($680). Equally, a person who posted sexually derogatory feedback about Itaewon tragedy victims in a chatroom was acquitted in each the primary and second trials.
The injury inflicted by faux information and malicious feedback goes past authorized issues. The psychological influence on grieving households is profound, including to their already insufferable struggling. Professor Lim Myung-ho of Dankook College’s Division of Psychology emphasised the significance of stopping secondary hurt.
“We should be extra cautious in distributing info from unclear sources to stop extra hurt to victims’ households,” Lim said.
The continuing unfold of misinformation and mockery not solely deepens the trauma for bereaved households but additionally fuels public mistrust and division throughout occasions of nationwide disaster, specialists warned.