Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, expressed his intention to allow local governments to autonomously extend the operation of joint memorial altars even after the national mourning period for the Jeju Air passenger plane accident at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do ends.
On the 4th, Acting President Choi said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting held at the Government Seoul Office, "Hundreds of thousands of citizens paid their respects at 105 joint memorial altars set up nationwide," and added, "We thank all the citizens who shared in the pain."
He continued, "Even after the national mourning period ends, we have decided to extend the operation of joint memorial altars mainly in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, and other local governments will autonomously decide on extension based on the trend of visitors and local conditions."
Choe Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Economy and Finance, is speaking at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on the Jeju Air passenger plane accident held at the Government Seoul Office on the morning of the 4th. Photo by Yonhap News.
He requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to prepare measures such as a joint memorial service reflecting the wishes of the bereaved families.
As support measures for the bereaved families, he explained, "We will extend the national tax payment deadline by up to two years and expedite the refund of value-added tax," and added, "Telecommunication companies will fully waive mobile phone fees, contract cancellations, and penalties for the victims, and internet usage fees for the victims' households will also be waived for two months."
Regarding the investigation into the cause of the accident, he said, "A special safety inspection is being conducted on the safety operation systems of six airlines operating the same aircraft model as the accident plane," and added, "Although the inspection was originally planned to be completed by yesterday, the inspection period has been extended by one week to focus on maintenance areas directly related to aircraft safety, such as maintenance time and skilled maintenance personnel."
He instructed the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to immediately correct any identified issues and to prepare additional improvement measures such as expanding maintenance personnel and increasing safety investments to strengthen aircraft safety.
Finally, Acting President Choi reaffirmed a zero-tolerance policy toward online criminal acts that damage the honor of the bereaved families, urging, "The National Police Agency and others should respond more swiftly and strongly."
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