[Report] "I Came in a Hurry, but My Stomach Is Burning"... Chaos in the 1st Floor Waiting Room of Muan Airport

No On-Site Control Tower, Families Express Frustration
Slow Identification... Only 49 of 175 Confirmed

On the morning of the 29th, the families of victims are experiencing confusion at Muan International Airport, where a Jeju Air passenger plane that departed from Bangkok, Thailand, crashed. This is because the government's communication channels are unclear, and the identification process is progressing very slowly.

On the 29th at 4:30 PM, a government official is giving a briefing to the bereaved families on the first floor of Muan International Airport in Jeonnam.

At around 5:45 PM that day, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that out of 181 passengers on board, 2 had been rescued and 174 recovered. Among them, 49 have been identified. This is 27 more than the number announced at 3:30 PM that day. Search operations are still ongoing for the remaining 5. Lee Jeong-hyun, head of the Muan Fire Station in Jeonnam, stated, "We plan to continue search operations through the night until the identities of the families are fully confirmed."

Regarding the slow identification process, Lee Jin-cheol, director of the Busan Regional Aviation Administration, explained, "We are proceeding by collecting DNA samples for confirmation," adding, "There are established procedures, and the severity of the accident means it takes time."

The bereaved families expressed frustration and sighed deeply whenever the government made announcements. Mr. A said, "I hurried here after hearing that my sister and brother-in-law were on board," and added, "There is no clear guidance, and just waiting is agonizing."

In fact, the first-floor waiting room at Muan Airport was full of confusion that day. The list of 22 names announced around 3 PM differed from the previously announced list of 5, causing further confusion. When families individually requested government officials for information, they were sometimes only given separate guidance afterward. The victim list announced belatedly was posted as a photo of a paper printed with black letters on a blue background, which drew complaints from the families. One family member criticized, "It is absurd to post it in a way that makes the text hard to read."

On the morning of the 29th, at around 9:03 AM, the fire authorities are recovering the wreckage of a Jeju Air passenger plane that was damaged while attempting a belly landing at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do.

While briefings on accident response were held in Sejong City and Gangseo-gu, Seoul, news was often delayed in reaching the families at the site. One bereaved family member appealed, "I am here at the site, but is it reasonable that I have to learn the exact accident investigation details from the news?" Some agitated families loudly criticized government officials and reporters, citing the lack of proper communication channels and no progress in updates.

The families also requested to be allowed to visit the accident site directly. Mr. B, representing the families, said, "At least the men want to confirm the accident site before sunset," and asked, "Please cooperate as much as possible." However, Lee Jin-cheol of the Busan Aviation Administration responded, "There is no precedent for this, and trauma from the tragedy could occur," asking for understanding.