Jeju Air: Families attacked online after South Korea plane crash

Families of those killed in the Jeju Air crash have been smeared as "fake victims" and "scammers".

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The Jeju Air plane, which was returning from Bangkok, Thailand, crash-landed at Muan International Airport on 29 December and exploded after slamming into a concrete barrier at the end of the runway, killing 179 of the 181 people on board.

Police investigations have identified and apprehended eight people who have been accused of making derogatory and defamatory online posts. These included suggestions that families were "thrilled" to receive compensation from authorities, or that they were "fake victims" - to the extent that some felt compelled to prove they had lost their loved ones.

Authorities have taken down at least 427 such posts.

But this is not the first time that bereaved families in South Korea have found themselves the targets of online abuse. Speaking to the BBC, experts described a culture where economic struggles, financial envy and social issues such as toxic competitiveness are fuelling hate speech.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx28n141209o

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