Broadcaster Yang Mi-ra got caught in controversy after revealing her violation of airline baggage regulations in an SNS post while traveling abroad. Despite the initial backlash, she continued to promote on SNS without clarification, which amplified the criticism. Ultimately, Yang Mi-ra provided an explanation during her trip.
The controversy over Yang Mi-ra's violation of the power bank regulations began on the 22nd when she disclosed her experiences from a long-haul flight to Canada on her social media account.
Yang Mi-ra shared a typical travel experience with the statement, "I was worried about whether Seo-ho (her son) could endure the long flight of 13 hours, but as soon as we boarded the plane, he briefly slept and then arrived in a drowsy state after not sleeping for about 10 hours," but the next sentence, stating that "I placed the power bank in the carry-on and brought it with me," became the problem.
Power banks are strictly prohibited to be checked in as luggage due to explosion risks. This regulation has been further strengthened since the January incident at Gimhae International Airport, where a power bank explosion caused a passenger aircraft fire. Internet users criticized her, saying, "I don't understand why she writes this as if bragging," "Cabin security regulations are no joke and have been in the news repeatedly, so this is too careless," and "Did she want to show off her suffering?"
Despite the initial controversy, Yang Mi-ra consistently shared her travel experiences in Canada without much explanation. She even posted promotional event content on her SNS story while applying cosmetics. This 'silent promotion' further intensified the criticism from online users, who responded, "Cabin safety is no joke; it's too careless," "If it was a mistake, shouldn't she at least apologize?" and "I don't understand how she speaks of danger as if it's something to boast about." Some showed a lenient view, saying, "Anyone can make a mistake once," but the majority sentiment was that, "As a public figure, she should be more careful."
As the criticism grew stronger, Yang Mi-ra finally spoke up on the 24th. She said, "I was quite surprised to see distorted and sensational articles yesterday and thought that if I just stayed quiet, it would be okay... But I realized that if I remained silent, it seemed like I would become the 'careless' person who knowingly placed a battery in the carry-on and even boasted about it, so I'm posting this to clarify," explaining that she chose to clarify to avoid appearing 'careless.'
Yang Mi-ra explained, "Since it was a trip with my child, I had a lot of luggage, and while I was frantically packing for three weeks until just before departure, I didn't realize the power bank had gone into the luggage bag," adding, "Fortunately, the airport checked before boarding, so I took it out and boarded the plane after resolving the issue." She continued, "I want to make sure to emphasize that I didn't intentionally place it there without knowing the regulations," and added, "However, not double-checking my luggage was indeed my fault, so I will be more careful in the future."
Yang Mi-ra said, "I have been very upset yesterday and today, but now that I've organized my thoughts, I feel a bit relieved." However, the process from her initial post, which seemed to proudly confirm her regulation violation, to her delayed clarification in response to intensified criticism, and her intent to avoid the 'careless' label, raised eyebrows. The timing of her hurried explanation during the trip, which was late at night by Korean time, indicates how urgent the situation was. It remains to be seen whether Yang Mi-ra's clarification will definitively conclude the controversy or mark the beginning of another debate surrounding a celebrity's sense of responsibility and communication style.
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