[Aircraft Crash] Gwangju City Council Calls for "Gwangju to Be Declared a Special Disaster Zone"

"Active Response to Mockery of Bereaved Families and Fake News"

Firefighters are searching for belongings at the site of the collision and explosion involving a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The Gwangju City Council has urged the government to declare Gwangju a special disaster area in relation to the Muan Airport Jeju Air crash, and to actively respond to mockery and fake news targeting the bereaved families.

In a statement issued on the 1st by the 'Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster Response Support Team,' the Gwangju City Council stated, "We requested that Gwangju be included as a special disaster area, but the government only declared Muan County as a special disaster area."

The council continued, "Of the 179 victims, 81 are Gwangju citizens. Including Gwangju, which has the highest number of victims, as a special disaster area is only natural," emphasizing, "The government must promptly declare Gwangju a special disaster area."

They also stated, "The Jeju Air passenger plane disaster is a social disaster. Substantial support is needed for the bereaved families who lost loved ones overnight, through emergency measures and financial aid for disaster relief," and added, "The government must ensure that Gwangju is not discriminated against when providing funding for disaster relief projects and special grants."

Meanwhile, the city council noted, "Recently, there has been mockery and abusive remarks toward the victims' families, especially on social media. Some are even spreading fake news, conspiracy theories, and hate speech, causing immense pain to the bereaved families," and added, "What is needed now is comfort and encouragement. The government must respond strongly to this as well."