Gwangju City Continues 'Victims Memorial' at Jeonil Building 245

Joint Memorial Altar for Aircraft Disaster to Remain Open Longer

Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijeong visited the "Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster Victims Joint Mourning Hall," which relocated to the first floor of Jeonil Building 245 in Dong-gu on the afternoon of the 5th, and paid a joint tribute with Gwangju City Council Chairperson Shin Sujeong, Gwangju Superintendent of Education Lee Jeongseon, and the heads of five district offices. Photo by Gwangju City

Gwangju City will continue the memorial for the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster victims by relocating the joint memorial altar from the 5.18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu to the first floor of Jeonil Building 245 in Dong-gu starting from the 5th.

Gwangju City had set up and operated the "Joint Memorial Altar for the Victims of the Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster" at the 5.18 Democracy Square until the end of the national mourning period on the 4th. From this day, the memorial altar is being operated indoors on the first floor of Jeonil Building 245.

Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijung, Gwangju City Council Chairperson Shin Sujeong, Gwangju Superintendent of Education Lee Jeongseon, Dong-gu District Mayor Im Taek, Seo-gu District Mayor Kim Ikang, Nam-gu District Mayor Kim Byeongnae, Buk-gu District Mayor Moon In, Gwangsan-gu District Mayor Park Byeonggyu, Gwangju Civil Society Council Standing Representative Park Mikyung, the Gwangju branch of the Democratic Party of Korea, and others visited the joint memorial altar at Jeonil Building 245 at 2 p.m. on this day to pay their respects together.

The joint memorial altar operates from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., enshrining the memorial tablets of 179 victims to honor them.

The relocation and extended operation of the joint memorial altar was decided in consultation with representatives of the victims' families, and the period of operation will also be determined through further discussions with the families.

During the week-long national mourning period from December 30 to January 4, a total of 30,084 people visited the joint memorial altar at 5.18 Democracy Square (22,425 people) and the district memorial altars (7,659 people) to pay tribute to the victims.

The city also opened an "online memorial altar" on its website, allowing people to offer flowers and pay tribute to the deceased without restrictions of location or time. As of 12 p.m. on this day, 6,134 people had offered flowers and 3,732 condolence messages had been posted on the online memorial altar.

Mayor Kang Gijung said, "Taking into account the wishes of the bereaved families and the ongoing funerals for the victims, we have set up the joint memorial altar at Jeonil Building 245, where people can avoid the cold and continue to pay their respects. I hope this will be a time to honor the souls of the deceased, comfort the hearts of the bereaved families, and reaffirm our commitment to a safer society. I deeply thank the citizens of Gwangju who are sharing in the pain of the bereaved families and offering their condolences regarding the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster."