In Disaster Situations, Consume Information from Credible Sources
Conspiracy theories are spreading on online communities and social networking services (SNS) regarding the Jeju Air passenger plane accident that occurred at Jeonnam Muan International Airport.
At Muan International Airport, a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers collided with the outer wall of the runway during landing, causing a fire that resulted in a major disaster with most passengers dead. On the 29th, firefighters and forensic investigators are recovering the victims at the accident site on the runway of Muan International Airport, Jeollanam-do. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
On the 29th, terms such as "shamanism" and "North Korean involvement theory" surfaced on various online communities and SNS. Some netizens claimed, "Perhaps because shamans and shamanism fanatics have taken control of the country, even airplane accidents are not ordinary." Others asserted connections to North Korea. Some netizens pointed out that the number "817" appeared for one second on a broadcast station's accident coverage screen and linked it to North Korea's anti-South directive known as the "817 policy."
There were also speculations that "black agents who received orders for rebellion" were involved. Posts included statements such as, "Kim Yong-hyun (former Minister of National Defense) leaked messages and black agents seemed to be active," "It has been revealed that black agents were lurking at every airport, so is this suspicion really unreasonable?" and "Jeju Air is a passenger plane that frequently landed at Cheongju Airport and Daegu Airport, where black agents attempted bombings and riots after receiving orders for rebellion."
Immediately after the accident occurred, a Naver cafe even raised the 'mass stock sell-off rumor.' Screenshot from Naver cafe
Immediately after the accident, a theory about "massive stock sell-off" was even raised on a Naver cafe. There was a claim that a large volume of Jeju Air stocks was sold on the 27th, a weekday, just before the accident. The poster attached a stock graph and wrote, "Who is responsible for the chilling massive sell-off at 1 p.m.?" and "Money doesn't lie."
Conspiracy theories also arose questioning how the accident moment could have been filmed in advance in a sparsely populated area, given that accident footage capturing the situation was shared. Mr. A, who witnessed the accident and filmed the video, explained in an interview with a media outlet, "I heard loud banging sounds and looked outside to see the passenger plane flying low over the store, which was unusual compared to normal. So I immediately went up to the rooftop and started filming." He added, "Those people (who raise conspiracy theories) are really too much. Even normally, you can see the airport from this side, including the general parking lot. I have seen several planes taking off and landing."
Netizens criticized, saying, "All conspiracy theories lack sufficient evidence," "Now is not the time to talk about such things," and "These stories are disrespectful to the victims." Experts advised that although conspiracy theories always arise in disaster situations, it is more important to consume information from authoritative and reliable sources.
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