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SCMP’s Asia desk

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.
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.
“The pilot of the crash just wanted to play the hero,” one comment read.
Hate comments have also been hurled at the Muan International Airport, highlighting South Korea’s long history of regionalism. Authorities have officially renamed the incident as “December 29 Jeju Air plane crash”, in a bid to thwart discrimination after users online started calling it the “Muan crash”.
Koo Jeong-woo, a sociology professor at Sungkyunkwan University, attributed such comments to a lack of empathy in society. “Complexity and extremism in society have left many isolated. And these people tend to express their thoughts in a bizarre and extreme way so that they can get attention,” The Korea Herald quoted him as saying.
Koo pointed out such backlash had also been observed in previous tragedies, such as the Sewol ferry sinking in 2014 and the Halloween crowd crush. In both cases, victims’ families were also given compensation, which could have triggered deep feelings of resentment and injustice, according to The Korea Herald.
“People who are living day by day feel the compensation is overrated and say the bereaved are getting ‘unfair treatment’ and that they are making a big deal when everyone’s life is hard,” he said.


South Korea has laws criminalising defamatory content online, but punishments have been minimal at best. An offender was fined 1 million won (US$680) for mocking victims of the Sewol incident, while another individual who made derogatory comments about the Halloween crush was acquitted after trial.
The Jeju Air crash, along with the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane a few days earlier, made 2024 civil aviation’s deadliest year since 2018.
Park Sang-woo, South Korea’s transport minister, had earlier said he wanted to step down from his post to take responsibility for the crash. Investigators have pointed to a bird strike and faulty landing gear as among possible causes of the crash.
“I feel heavy responsibility for this disaster,” Park said on January 7, adding that he would try to find the right timing to resign after addressing the incident.


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South Korea’s Jeju Air crash: victims’ families face hate, disinformation online

Women grieve at the Muan International Airport in South Korea after the Jeju Air crash on December 29, 2024. Photo: AFP

Firefighters work to clear the debris of Jeju Air Flight 2216 on January 13, days after it crashed at the Muan International Airport. Photo: EPA-EFE

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A government official investigates on Thursday at the site where a Jeju Air aircraft crashed at Muan International Airport on December 29. Photo: AFP

Special Forces members on Thursday search near the site where a Jeju Air aircraft crashed at Muan International Airport on December 29. Photo: AFP

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Police forensics personnel and National Bureau of Investigation officials are seen by a wall as they work at the scene of the Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport in South Korea on December 31. Photo: Yonhap / AFP

A family member of a Thai victim in the Jeju Air plane crash visits the crash site of Muan International Airport. Photo: dpa

A police forensic team conducts an on-site investigation at the scene of the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport in southwestern South Korea. Photo: dpa

Mourners pay their respects at a memorial altar for the victims of the Jeju Air plane crash, in front of Seoul City Hall in Seoul on December 31. Photo: AFP

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An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Committee takes part in the investigation at the site where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed. Photo: AFP

Forensic experts, police investigators, and firefighters work at the site of a deadly plane crash at Muan International Airport. Photo:dpa

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Tarpaulin shrouds the wreckage of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which on December 29 crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport. Photo: Yonhap/AFP

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Hate comments could stem from feelings of resentment and injustice over families receiving compensation from government, an expert says


Hate comments could stem from feelings of resentment and injustice over families receiving compensation from government, an expert says.


South Korea’s Jeju Air crash: victims’ families face hate, disinformation online

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Hate comments could stem from feelings of resentment and injustice over families receiving compensation from government, an expert says

Hate comments could stem from feelings of resentment and injustice over families receiving compensation from government, an expert says