Minju Holds Emergency On-Site Meeting
Orders Swift 'Victim Identification'
Plans to Meet Gwangju Women's Groups and Gwangju Archdiocese Head
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, comforted the bereaved families of the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster that occurred at Muan International Airport in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do. After the accident, Lee stayed at Muan Airport for nearly two days to greet the bereaved families and held a meeting on-site to discuss the accident response.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is shedding tears together while consoling the bereaved families of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do on the 30th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the afternoon of the 30th, Lee visited Muan Airport in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do. He had also visited the airport the previous afternoon, the day of the accident, to meet with the bereaved families. On this day, he wiped the tears from a bereaved family member’s face with his own handkerchief and shook hands with seated family members, patting their hands. The bereaved families, sitting with sorrowful expressions, appealed to Lee, saying, "Please help us return to our daily lives quickly." In response, Lee quietly said, "I am sorry."
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is consoling the bereaved families of the passengers involved in the Jeju Air plane accident at Muan International Airport on the 30th. Photo by Yonhap News
After meeting with the families, Lee held an emergency closed-door meeting in a conference room inside the government building. Spokesperson Kim Seong-hoe told reporters after the meeting, "The bereaved families particularly emphasized that for those whose identities have not been confirmed and who have undergone DNA testing, the results take about 10 days." It is known that Lee instructed to seek measures to expedite the DNA testing process during the meeting. According to Spokesperson Kim, Lee mentioned private companies and proposed ways to quickly obtain DNA test results.
Around the same time that day, Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, and Kwon Young-se, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, also visited Muan Airport to share their condolences with the bereaved families. Speaker Woo emphasized at the Muan Airport management building, which serves as the integrated support center for the disaster, that "all available personnel must be deployed to confirm the victims’ identities quickly and accurately." When asked by citizens whether the disaster was a natural disaster or a man-made one, Speaker Woo responded, "Since lives could have been saved, this should be considered a man-made disaster."
Firefighters are searching for fuel items at the site of the Jeju Air passenger plane collision and explosion accident that occurred 30 days ago at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong
Lee’s next schedule includes visiting the Gwangju women’s organization 'May Mothers House' and paying a courtesy call on Archbishop Ok Hyun-jin of the Gwangju Archdiocese.
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