President Vows Stern Action Against Insults to Disaster Victims

President Lee Jae-myung has pledged to "thoroughly investigate and sternly punish" individuals who insult victims and bereaved families of social disasters. His strong statement came in response to a media report about the arrest of a suspect accused of repeatedly spreading false information related to the Sewol ferry, Itaewon crowd crush, and a Jeju passenger plane crash.

"How can someone be so heartless?" President Lee wrote on X (formerly Twitter), sharing the report. "Imagine if your own family suffered such a tragedy. Shouldn't we practice empathy?" The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency announced that a man in his 50s, identified as 'A', was arrested for allegedly posting over 3,000 false articles on major online communities and platforms between 2022 and 2026 concerning social disasters.

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I will thoroughly investigate and sternly punish them in the future.

The suspect is accused of insulting victims and damaging their reputations by persistently posting claims such as "The Sewol ferry was a staged fraud, a production," "The Itaewon accident was a poorly made movie with dummies and staged deaths," and "The passenger plane crash was a fraudulent act of selling sympathy." These actions have caused significant distress to the victims' families.

This crackdown highlights the government's commitment to protecting the dignity of disaster victims and their families from malicious online attacks. The investigation aims to deter further spread of misinformation and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions, ensuring a more respectful online environment for those affected by tragedies.

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How can someone be so heartless? Imagine if your own family suffered such a tragedy. Shouldn't we practice empathy?