South Korean president vows to reveal truth on anniversary of 2024 Jeju Air crash
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arriving at the Presidential Office at the Blue House in Seoul on Dec 29.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MUAN, South Korea – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Dec 29 apologised to the families of the 179 people who died in a Jeju Air crash in 2024
“As president, who has the responsibility to protect the lives and safety of the people, I offer my deepest apologies,” he said in a message released on Dec 29.
Relatives of the victims held a tearful memorial service at Muan International Airport to mark the anniversary, with many overcome by sorrow and frustration because, a year after the crash, little has come to light to explain what happened.
Ms Kim Yu-jin, a representative of the families, said the government had wasted time focusing on cleaning up the aftermath of the crash rather than finding out why it happened.
“We will not stop until the truth is finally revealed and those responsible are held accountable so that the lives of the 179 were not lost for nothing,” she said at the service, which was attended by families, the Parliament’s Speaker and other government officials.
The families of the victims have demanded answers after investigators delayed releasing a report on what went wrong on Dec 29, 2024, when the Jeju Air jet crash-landed and slammed into an embankment at the end of the runway.
It erupted into a ball of flames, killing all but two of the 181 people on board.
The government-led Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board said in a preliminary report in January that both engines sustained bird strikes.
But questions remain about safety lapses, the design of the runway at Muan International Airport, where the crash occurred, and what actions the pilots took in the last few minutes of the flight.
“The disaster clearly revealed the systematic problems and limitations of our society,” Mr Lee said. “What’s needed now is not perfunctory promises or empty words, but rather real change and action.”
Parliament has been reviewing a plan to overhaul the aircraft accident investigation board to ensure greater independence and expertise.
Some family members of the victims have said investigators appeared to blame pilot error rather than exploring other factors, including the embankment at the end of the runway, that likely made the crash more deadly.
In July, investigators said the aircraft’s left engine, which sustained less damage than the right one following bird strikes, was shut down before the crash landing.
Few other details have emerged from the investigation, which had been hampered because both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder stopped recording in the final seconds of the flight.
Experts say most air accidents are caused by multiple factors, cautioning against putting too much weight on incomplete evidence. REUTERS
