"We Must Mature Now" ... Refrain from Spreading Provocative Videos and False Information

Uncontrolled Spread of Videos, Photos, and Fake News Related to Itaewon Tragedy on SNS
Naver, Kakao, Twitter, and Others Urged to Exercise Caution When Posting

On the morning of the 31st, police officers are controlling access to Itaewon World Food Culture Street in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lee Gyehwa] Concerns are growing that brutal videos, conspiracy theories, rumors, and unverified information related to the Itaewon tragedy that occurred ahead of Halloween are spreading unchecked on social media. Various sectors including the government, academic societies, and portal sites are urging restraint in sharing on-site footage and false information.

On the 31st, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting regarding the Itaewon tragedy, "Please refrain from hateful remarks about the victims or sharing provocative accident scenes." This was due to concerns over the indiscriminate spread of accident videos, photos, and fake news related to the Itaewon tragedy on social networking services (SNS) since the night of the accident on the 29th.

The Korean Neuropsychiatric Association also requested to stop hateful expressions and the distribution of on-site footage related to the Itaewon tragedy. In a statement released on the 30th, the association said, "With the large number of casualties, the public is experiencing another significant psychological trauma," and urged, "To prevent additional psychological trauma, please stop spreading unfiltered videos and photos from the accident scene." The association pointed out, "Horrific videos and photos from the accident scene are being shared unfiltered through SNS and other platforms," adding, "Such actions damage the honor of the deceased and victims, potentially leading to secondary and tertiary harm."

Furthermore, they said, "Hateful expressions online during disaster situations exacerbate the trauma of bereaved families and those present at the scene who are already suffering greatly, hindering their recovery," and added, "Hatred and stigma cause social conflicts and do not help resolve disaster situations in any way."

Platform companies such as Naver, Kakao, and Twitter also requested users to exercise caution when posting. This is to prevent secondary damage that may occur in community services and social media.

On the 30th, Naver posted a notice on various services such as Naver Cafe and Naver Blog titled 'Request for caution when posting about the Itaewon accident.' The notice included requests not to upload photos or videos that could reveal the identity of victims in posts or comments, and not to spread or share unverified facts related to the accident. On the same day, Kakao posted a similar notice on KakaoStory and Daum Cafe.

Twitter Korea stated on its Twitter account, "Please refer to Twitter’s 'Sensitive Media Policy' when tweeting images and videos from the Itaewon accident scene," and asked users to "refrain from retweeting sensitive posts." They also added, "If you find problematic tweets, please report them," and "Those who do not wish to see sensitive image content can change their display content settings in personal settings."

Earlier, SNS and messengers such as Twitter, Instagram, and KakaoTalk were flooded with unfiltered videos and photos capturing the Itaewon Halloween festival accident scene in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. These included scenes of crowds shouting in narrow alleys, patients lying on the ground receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), firefighters and paramedics running across blood-soaked ground, and bodies in Halloween costumes uploaded without mosaics.

Unverified fake news also circulated. Centered on online communities, claims included "People shouted to push from behind," "They just watched as people fell like dominoes," "Stores turned up the music," "Drugs were involved in this accident," and "People were busy filming videos regardless of whether others died."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.