"Ministers Left Out"... Jeju Air Disaster Bereaved Families Protest Prosecution of Officials

"Senior Officials Who Ordered the Ministry's False Press Release Must Be Punished"

The bereaved families have strongly condemned the prosecution transfer of officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, who were found to have issued false press releases despite being aware of violations in airport facility installation regulations during the "December 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster" that claimed 179 lives. The families criticized the investigation as a "classic case of cutting off the tail while sparing the head."

At a press conference held on the afternoon of the 26th at Muan International Airport, Yoojin Kim, representative of the victims’ families association of the December 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, announced the position regarding the referral of seven officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to the prosecution. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On August 26, at a press conference and statement held at Muan International Airport, the Bereaved Families Association of the December 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air passenger plane disaster criticized, "The latest prosecution transfer, which focuses on working-level staff while omitting the final decision-makers in the approval chain such as ministers and vice-ministers, is merely the beginning that shows how the state has concealed and controlled the tragedy that claimed 179 lives."

Yoojin Kim, representative of the Bereaved Families Association, stated, "Even two days after the disaster, there was not even a refrigerated morgue for the bodies, and while the families shed tears of blood, Ministry officials were fabricating false official documents at their desks. Those in higher positions who gave instructions to write or approved false press releases, despite being aware that the localizer was illegally installed, must be held accountable and punished."

She continued, "Although a grand memorial was held 20 days after the disaster with authorities claiming it was a 'model response,' in reality, the failure to recover remains at the site led to a second tragedy. Even now, one year and eight months later, the recovery of remains is ongoing. Responsibility for issuing orders to leave remains at the scene until the end of the search and for inadequate handling must be fully and transparently disclosed."

The bereaved families also pressed for a thorough investigation of those responsible for the fundamental causes of the disaster, including the installation of concrete mounds, poor bird control, and aircraft defects.

Previously, the Special Investigation Team of the National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency transferred seven officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to the prosecution without detention the previous day, on charges of preparing and exercising false official documents in connection with the December 29 passenger plane disaster.

These officials are accused of preparing and distributing a false briefing to the press titled, "The localizer at Muan Airport was installed in accordance with relevant regulations," despite knowing on December 30 and 31, 2024—immediately after the disaster—that the airport’s localizer had not been installed in line with the proper regulations.

The December 29 disaster occurred at approximately 9:03 a.m. on December 29, 2024, when a Jeju Air passenger plane attempting a belly landing at Muan International Airport collided with a localizer installed in the form of a concrete mound. Of the 181 people on board, 179 lost their lives.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.