Jeju Air Disaster Bereaved Families "Thankful to the Officials Who Worked Hard Despite Criticism" with 90-Degree Bow

"Consolation Received for Prompt Delivery of Bodies"
176 Deaths Transported to Funeral Market as of 2 PM

Eight days after the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, as the recovery of bodies and search operations concluded, the bereaved families expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as well as the fire department, police, military, health authorities, Gwangju City, and Jeollanam-do for their utmost efforts.

Park Han-shin, the representative of the bereaved families, expressing gratitude to the authorities in charge. Photo by Yonhap News.

On the morning of the 5th at 9:30 a.m., Park Han-shin, the representative of the Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster Bereaved Families Emergency Response Committee, held a briefing on the second floor of Muan International Airport in Muan County, Jeollanam-do, and expressed thanks on behalf of the families to the government for locating the victims.

Representative Park said, "Many of the families are not here (at the airport) now as the handover procedures have progressed significantly," adding, "We will conclude the official briefings as of this morning." He continued, "The body handover process has been carried out rapidly, so I believe the families have been comforted and have returned home. However, since there are still many tasks to be done, we plan to hold a general meeting with the families at Muan Airport at noon on Saturday (the 11th)."

As the delivery of the bodies of the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster has mostly been completed, the family shelter set up on the second floor of Muan International Airport was empty on the morning of the 5th, creating an atmosphere of silence. Yonhap News

"Through this final briefing, we want to take the time to thank everyone who has worked hard so far," he said. "The Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Jeollanam-do Police, fire department, health authorities, the Port Authority, Gwangju City, and Jeollanam-do have all endured much criticism and hardship. They all have families too, but they could not go home for a week and worked tirelessly, which made it possible to manage the accident situation." Then, bowing deeply, he expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you. And we are truly grateful."

On the same day, the recovery authorities announced that late the previous evening, the fire department, police, and the National Forensic Service completed the third search of the tail fuselage section remaining at the accident site. No significant personal effects or body parts were found, and since the possibility of further discoveries was low, large-scale search operations involving extensive manpower were concluded. As of 9 a.m., 151 victims had been handed over.

As of 2 p.m., out of 179 deceased, 176 bodies had been transported to funeral homes. The remaining three bodies are temporarily stored at a provisional morgue within Muan International Airport and will be handed over sequentially.