More than two weeks since Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, grieving families of the 179 people killed in the disaster face another hurdle – online hate.
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Since the December 29 crash, social media and online communities had been filled with hateful comments and disinformation about the victims and their families, The Korea Herald reported.
Comments included how families were “delighted” about receiving compensation from the government, with a man in his thirties being arrested for saying that those who lost multiple loved ones “must be thrilled” about getting the money.
Jeju Air has said it will commit to fully supporting the funeral expenses of those who died in the crash, but has yet to disclose the amount of compensation for the victims’ families.
In previous incidents such as the Seoul Halloween crowd crush in 2022, the government provided 15 million won (US$10,200) for funeral expenses, according to Korean newspaper Aju Business Daily.
The pilots, who both died in the crash, were not spared from the hate speech, becoming the subject of misogynistic comments after being falsely identified as women. Both pilots were men.
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