The Office for Government Policy Coordination said it will seek disciplinary action against 12 public officials over what it called a poor recovery effort that left victims’ remains inadequately collected and stored for an extended period after the 12·29 Jeju Air passenger plane disaster.
The office’s joint government inspection team on Wednesday released results of an intensive review conducted for about a month starting March 23, covering the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and related agencies including police, fire authorities and the military.
The team said early search and recovery operations were incomplete because there were no detailed guidelines for aircraft-accident recovery and because on-scene command and oversight by fire and police officials were insufficient.
It also said the investigation board violated relevant rules and manuals while storing and managing debris that included unrecovered remains, leaving it piled up and unattended for a long period.
The team said it will notify the relevant ministries of its findings and request disciplinary measures for 12 officials: six from the investigation board, four from the transport ministry, and one each from police and fire authorities.
According to the team, the initial recovery led by fire and police authorities was carried out without a manual, and many inexperienced personnel were deployed, contributing to a flawed operation.
It found the South Jeolla Fire Headquarters, which oversaw the first search, ended that initial operation on Jan. 7 last year even though remains continued to be found at the site. A second search led by the South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency ended, and the team said police did not review whether additional searches were needed even after learning that remains were found the next day.
The team said the investigation board failed to properly check debris mixed with remains, placed it in large sacks and left it for 14 months, and did not respond promptly to bereaved families’ requests for a renewed search.
Kim Young-soo, first vice minister at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said the inspection was carried out quickly to ease, even slightly, the pain of bereaved families who have suffered additional distress due to the delayed recovery. He said he hoped the findings would help address suspicions raised about inadequate early recovery and the long-term neglect of remains.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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