Gwangju City Council: Bereaved Families Must Be Guaranteed Participation in On-site Investigation

Statement Released by the Aircraft Accident Response Support Team

On the 4th, at Jeonnam Muan International Airport Passenger Terminal, Lee Hyuk, the funeral committee chairman and representative of the bereaved family, and Kim Jeonghee, lawyer (Gwangju Bar Association Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster Legal Support Team), are announcing a statement. Photo by Yonhap News

The 'Jeju Air Passenger Plane Accident Response Team' (hereinafter referred to as the Response Team) of the Gwangju City Council has urged that "the participation rights of the bereaved families must be guaranteed in the on-site investigation related to the Jeju Air plane accident at Muan Airport."

In a statement released on the 4th, the Response Team stated, "The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (hereinafter referred to as the Investigation Board) and the US joint investigation team are conducting an on-site investigation in Muan." They continued, "Since inappropriate airport facilities have been mentioned as one of the causes of the accident, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport itself is under suspicion as a responsible party for the disaster, making it difficult to trust the Investigation Board."

The Response Team further pointed out, "A former government official has been appointed as the head of the Investigation Board, and among the five members of the aviation division, the standing members are also current high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport." They added, "We cannot help but be concerned about whether the Investigation Board can properly determine the cause of the disaster independently and neutrally, free from the influence of the Ministry."

The Response Team emphasized, "In order to thoroughly identify the cause of the accident without suspicion and to ensure the fairness and credibility of the investigation, the participation rights of the bereaved families or their representatives, such as the right to make statements, must be guaranteed." They added, "The bereaved families or their representatives should be allowed to observe the activities of the investigation team to ensure a fair investigation."