South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo visited the site of the December 29 Muan Airport plane crash on August 13, where he expressed condolences on behalf of the government and pledged to determine the exact cause of the accident. Families of the victims, 1 year and 8 months after the incident, urged Han to take on a government-wide leadership role in the investigation and accountability process.
During his visit to Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do, Han met with over 50 family members of the victims, stating, "I am deeply sorry to meet you in such circumstances, and I feel a heavy heart. As a representative of the government, I once again express my sense of responsibility and offer my apologies."
Han visited a memorial site at the airport to pay his respects and then inspected the ongoing recovery efforts for remains and personal belongings. He later engaged in discussions with the families regarding the investigation, recovery of remains, support for victims, and memorial plans.
"What the families desire most is to uncover the exact cause of the accident," Han said, explaining that the transfer of the investigation to the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Committee under the Prime Minister's Office aims to ensure an independent and fair investigation process. He added, "I will ensure that both the truth is revealed and that we support and memorialize the families' pain, and I will carefully oversee the remaining processes to ensure that the families' urgent concerns and efforts are not in vain."
Han acknowledged criticisms regarding the inadequacy of the recovery process, stating, "I felt truly sorry and pained to hear that the families had to participate in the recovery and even create manuals themselves. It is preferable to determine the completion timeline in consultation with the families, as we have done so far."
In response to demands for transparency regarding accountability for those responsible, he said, "We are currently gathering and organizing relevant information, and I will be able to provide an update once that is complete."
According to the investigation committee, the recovery of remains began on April 13. A joint government command center, involving police, fire services, military, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Airports Corporation, and Jeju Air, has deployed an average of 200 to 300 personnel daily to search six designated areas inside and outside the airport.
As of August 12, searches have been completed in 724 of the 828 designated areas, achieving a progress rate of 87.4%. A total of 1,620 items believed to be remains and 851 personal belongings have been discovered. The suspected remains have been sent to the National Forensic Service for DNA analysis.
However, the recovery efforts were temporarily halted due to the removal of soil contaminated with aviation fuel and extreme heat, and the investigation committee noted that the search speed may slow down due to the large amount of soil that needs to be processed around the area where the aircraft crashed. Currently, searches are conducted from 7 a.m. to noon to ensure the safety of personnel on site.
Han also met with police, fire, and military personnel wearing protective gear who were sifting through soil, expressing gratitude for their hard work in the heat and emphasizing the importance of their health and safety. He expressed sorrow over the recovery of remains being conducted on a "point" basis, stating, "It is heartbreaking and regrettable that each individual is being represented in such a manner."
At the personal belongings storage site, families raised concerns about issues during the initial recovery process. Some family members reported that items, such as luggage and clothing of victims that were previously said to be lost, were discovered later, demanding an investigation into the recovery and storage processes and accountability for those involved.
One family member, who lost his wife and two sons, showed Han a portion of his family's identification card that was found later, stating, "I found nothing." Han took the family member's hand and said, "I am very sorry."
Kim Yoo-jin, representative of the 12·29 Muan Airport Jeju Air crash victims' families, stated, "The truth about why 179 people could not return has not been revealed, and no one has been held accountable or punished. The pain of losing loved ones has been compounded by the government's inadequate response."
The victims' families' association has requested that Prime Minister Han formalize a control tower role overseeing the recovery and investigation, expand the personnel and budget of the investigation committee, disclose investigation processes and original materials, issue a national apology for the inadequate response, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure the effective operation of support and memorial committees.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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