Sampoong’s “Devil’s Smile” Comes to Mind... “You Can Steal as Much as You Want” — Outrage on Social Media Over Japan Earthquake Site

[Financial News] A social media post suggesting that items could be stolen from the site of the Kumamoto earthquake in Japan has sparked outrage in South Korea, with many saying it brings to mind the so-called “Devil’s Smile” — a woman who looted clothes from victims during the 1995 Sampoong Department Store collapse.
According to Japanese social media, including X, formerly Twitter, on the 29th, a post was uploaded alongside a video that appeared to show the inside of a supermarket. The post read, “It’s great that I can steal as much as I want right now.” The account profile suggested the poster was a second-year high school student, but the person’s identity has not been clearly verified.
Earlier, a strong earthquake struck the Kumamoto region of Kumamoto Prefecture at around 4:27 p.m. on the 28th. A maximum seismic intensity of 7 was observed in Uki City and Hikawa Town.
As the post spread, criticism grew that the disaster was being treated as an opportunity for crime.
In Japan, so-called disaster-related theft has often followed major disasters. During the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, two people were arrested for committing more than 40 thefts.
In South Korea, reactions also recalled a photo of a woman looting clothes worn by victims during the Sampoong Department Store collapse, the so-called “Devil’s Smile.”
A detective who was in charge at Seocho Police Station at the time, appearing on SBS’s “The Day That Keeps Coming Back 2” in 2021, said that about 400 people were booked for theft at the Sampoong collapse site.
Japanese media are warning that false information is spreading on social media in connection with the earthquake, including explosion videos created with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and fake rescue requests. They also urged people to verify eye-catching information with public agencies and news reports, and to avoid sharing it if they are not certain it is true.
Meanwhile, as of the 29th, the confirmed death toll from the earthquake had risen to 14. Casualties were reported at a large shopping mall and a paper mill where explosions occurred, and several people remain unaccounted for as authorities continue rescue operations.
After watching the video, Korean internet users reacted by saying, “That ‘Devil’s Smile’ photo is shocking even now. How can someone smile in that situation?” and “Thinking of a disaster as an opportunity for crime is worse than human.”


[email protected] Sung Min-seo Reporter