This is how Korean online platforms dealt with the Itaewon tragedy

The Itaewon tragedy recorded the death of 154 victims, with dozens more injured—resulting in one of South Korea’s worst disasters. To pay respect to the victims, the country’s popular online platforms, Naver and Kakao, opened online spaces to help users mourn the deaths.

Naver

Naver, which is basically South Korea’s version of Google, has placed an “Itaewon accident” tab next to the search box of its main page. Users are able to access related news, report missing persons, or express condolences by clicking on a “black ribbon” button.

Korea Herald reported that more than 350,000 Naver users “wore” the black ribbons online as of 2 pm on Monday. However, users aren’t able to leave any messages, as doing so would possibly result in secondary damage to the victims.

Kakao

Kakao, the company that brought the instant messaging platform KakaoTalk, has placed a tab on its app that links to a page for mourning. Users are able to only leave set messages of condolences, but cannot write anything else. Kakao said this was to prevent possible secondary damage to the victims.

“I offer my condolences with all my heart before a tragic death. There is no way to avoid being miserable. For those who may have been our friends, family and colleagues, leave a heart of remembrance with flowers,” tweeted Kakao’s representatives on Twitter.

Additionally, Kakao Daum Cafe requested that users report any posts (with or without media) or comments that may contain unverified facts, expose the victims, or hurt the deceased’s families.

“We hope you will refrain as much as you can from sharing and spreading unverified facts as well as from uploading videos or photos that expose the victims. Please report any posts through the service center or otherwise, if you find any that may cause hurt to the victims or their families. May those that were sacrificed in the accident rest in peace. Thank you,” wrote Daum Cafe on its platform.

On the night of the disaster, tens of thousands of people flooded into the area in Itaewon to celebrate Halloween. However, as panic erupted and the crowds swelled, witnesses said it became harder to breathe and impossible to move. The 154 casualties were mostly in their teens and early 20s.

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