[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] In relation to the Jeju Air disaster at Muan Airport, a branch manager at Gongcha Korea, a famous franchise company, was criticized for making remarks to part-time workers along the lines of, "If the plane crashes, contact us first so that you don't miss work."

The controversy broke out when Mr. A, who identified himself as a part-time worker at the branch the day before, shared a KakaoTalk message he received from the branch manager on X (formerly Twitter). The message contained the manager saying, “Did you see the plane crash today? There are some guys (part-timers) going abroad during vacation. If something happens (with the plane), send me a message saying ‘Help me find a part-timer’ before your mom and dad. So that you won’t miss any work.”

Person A said, “Is that something you say to a part-time worker? Aren’t you ashamed as an adult?” and urged a boycott, saying, “Let’s all stop consuming.”

As the contents of the administrator notice shared by Mr. A were spread to various online communities, public criticism spread. On the Kakao Map review page, ‘1-star ratings’ were posted one after another in protest, and hundreds of reviews were posted. There were malicious comments such as, “If it was said by an employee, not the CEO, the CEO should claim damages,” “How could he shamelessly make such a statement in the midst of this disaster,” and “I will boycott.”

As the controversy grew, the branch owner and the headquarters immediately issued an apology.

On the 30th, Gongcha Korea announced through their official SNS, “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and hurt caused by the inappropriate remarks made at the Gongcha Shinsegae Daegu franchise store.” They added, “It has been confirmed that it originated from the inappropriate personal behavior of the franchise store manager. We are reviewing it thoroughly and taking appropriate measures against the relevant employees. We will strengthen our internal management system and prepare improvement measures to prevent this from happening again.”

The owner of the Shinsegae Daegu branch of Gongcha Korea also issued a handwritten apology. The owner bowed his head and said, “I sincerely apologize for causing great concern to many people due to the inappropriate behavior of our employee.” He added, “All of this was caused by my negligence as the owner, and I deeply reflect on it. I will do my best to prevent it from happening again.”

According to Tolerance Korea, the employee in question has reportedly been dismissed.

As condolences from all walks of life continue to pour in following the news of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, posts that go against public sentiment, including insulting remarks toward the bereaved families, are appearing one after another online, causing public outrage.

An article titled "This is not a person" was posted on the online community "Bobaedream." The published photo was captioned, "Only the families of the victims at Muan Airport are getting rich quick. They must be smiling inside at the thought of receiving compensation."

On the same day, a post titled "Chatting level of Muangun Airplane Crash" and a photo were uploaded to 'Bobaedream'. The released photo contained a captured KakaoTalk chat conversation. They shared a domestic media report containing a chat conversation sent by a passenger on the actual crashed plane to his family, and one member replied, "Oh, why do I feel more sorry for the bird? It's sad."

He concluded his post by saying, "What on earth did you learn growing up that you feel more sorry for a bird that you hit than a human life? This female member is said to be raising a bird."

Some netizens responded with, "Why don't these people change?", "Why are there so many things that don't seem human?", "Isn't there a way to report things like that?", and "It's a waste of interest to these inhuman species."

Meanwhile, at around 9:03 AM the previous day, a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 people crashed into the outer wall of the runway while landing at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, killing 179 people and injuring 2. This accident was recorded as the worst disaster with the highest number of casualties among domestic aircraft accidents.