Farewell texts from passengers on South Korean ferry apparently fake

Shannon Jensen/Getty Images

Farewell texts from passengers on South Korean ferry apparently fake
(Image credit: Shannon Jensen/Getty Images)

South Korean officials determined messages thought to be from passengers on a capsized ferry were actually hoaxes, Korea Real Time reported on Thursday.

Hundreds of text messages had been sent to family members and friends of the ferry's missing passengers, apparently from the trapped individuals' phones.

"Dad, don't worry. I've got a life vest on and we're huddled together," one text read. Another: "Mom, I'm sending this message now in case I don't get to say it later: I love you."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But officials from South Korea's Cyber Terror Response Center said records showed no phone calls, messages or other communications had been made after the ferry sank. Police are investigating the hoax, and they said whoever is behind the messages will face criminal charges.

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.