"'Not Fake Bereaved Families' - Child of Jeju Air Crash Bereaved Family Representative Appeals"

"Do Not Cause Further Harm" Appeal Posted
Strict Response to Insulting Posts Related to Police and Incident

As baseless defamatory remarks such as "fake bereaved family member" continued against the representative of the Jeju Air disaster bereaved families' council, a post was made urging, "Do not cause further wounds to the bereaved families."

On the afternoon of the 30th, bereaved families of the Jeju Air passengers were crying at Muan International Airport in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, following the announcement of the newly confirmed list of deceased victims. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 31st, a writer A, who introduced themselves as a child of Park Han-shin, the representative of the bereaved families' council, posted on social media (SNS), "The term 'fake bereaved family member' is rampant in YouTube comments and article comments, so I want to express my frustration even a little," and explained, "The 'fake bereaved family member' some people mention is not true. My father's younger brother, that is, my uncle, passed away in this accident." A also attached a photo with a circle marking Park's younger brother's name on the victim list.

They added, "I am very frustrated about where this false news started spreading from, and it breaks my heart when the word 'fraudster' is attached to my father who lost his younger brother in the comments. I am very scared and worried that my father might make a wrong choice," and pleaded, "Please do not cause further wounds to the bereaved families."

Earlier, some netizens posted defamatory comments about Park, such as "impersonating a bereaved family member," "Democratic Party political opportunist," and "a Democratic Party member pretending to be a bereaved family member while crying in an interview." This interpretation arises because Park has been urging the government and political circles to take necessary measures on behalf of the bereaved families. Park also pointed out the authorities' inadequate response regarding issues such as the storage of remains in refrigerated containers and the establishment of a joint memorial altar.

Besides Park's case, recently, rumors have been circulating online about the Jeju Air disaster, such as "the bereaved families are demanding excessive compensation" and "since the plane crash video was recorded, this is a fabricated accident." In response, the police and the bar association have stated they will take strict action against insulting posts.

Earlier, on the 29th of last month at 9:03 a.m., Jeju Air flight 7C2216 from Bangkok, Thailand to Muan attempted a belly landing at Muan International Airport but collided with structures and the airport outer wall, causing an explosion. Of the 181 passengers and crew on board, 179 died, leaving only two survivors.