Queen Jenuvia II (Yonhap)
Queen Jenuvia II (Yonhap)

A passenger ferry running aground on Wednesday fortunately did not lead to any deaths, but that has not stopped users online from posting malicious comments that are politically charged or ill-natured in relation to the accident.

Websites and social media outlets of Korean-language news outlets covering news of the accident have been bombarded with derisive and insulting comments particularly related to Sinan County, South Jeolla Province.

The Queen Jenuvia II, a 26,546-ton ferry carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew members, ran aground off the southwestern coast of the country, due to what the Coast Guard has assessed to be gross negligence on the crew's part. Everyone onboard was safely evacuated about three hours after the grounding, while 27 people suffered nonfatal injuries.

Comments launched against the small county in the Jeolla region, which is known for being a political stronghold for the liberal bloc, have been especially politically charged. "This accident is conspiracy by the left wing," or "No one was charged (with a crime) because the president is left-wing."

Two crew members of the ferry have been placed under emergency arrest for their part in the accident: the helmsman and first officer of the ship. The first officer reportedly admitted to having been looking at his phone when the accident occurred.

Some commenters suggested the whole incident was fabricated by authorities, a conspiracy theory similar to that which surfaced in the aftermath of the 2014 sinking of Sewol ferry that claimed 304 lives.

Even in the sinking of the Sewol, one of the worst maritime disasters in the country's history, survivors, victims and bereaved family members of the victims endured a series of malicious comments.

SBS last year analyzed some 5.41 million comments on 167,077 articles related to the Sewol tragedy that were posted on major news outlets in the country between April 16, 2014 and April 10, 2024. It found that 31 percent of the comments were malicious in nature, with the proportion of malicious comments to all comments increasing from 2015 to 2020.

According to SBS, politically charged comments were even more commonly found in 2024 articles related to the Sewol, marking the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy. Liberal lawmakers and other figures related to the investigation of the Sewol sinking were subject to insults in the comments, with some accusing the liberal bloc of using the deaths for their political gain.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com