Gwangju City Officials Vow to Be a Pillar of Support for Citizens

First Regular Meeting of the New Year... Moment of Silence for Air Crash Victims
Mayor Kang Urges Administration to Support Bereaved Families and Restore Citizens' Daily Lives

Kang Kijeong, mayor of Gwangju, attended the regular meeting held in the main conference room of the city hall on the 9th and gave a greeting. Photo by Gwangju City

Public officials in Gwangju expressed their condolences to the victims, bereaved families, and injured of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster.

On the morning of the 9th, Gwangju City held its first regular meeting of the new year in the main conference room at City Hall. At this event, the officials paid tribute to the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster and reaffirmed their commitment to be a "pillar of support" for the bereaved families and all those affected who are going through difficult times.

The regular meeting, attended by Mayor Kang Gijung and about 500 public officials, began with a moment of silence for the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster. A video produced by Gwangju City to honor the victims was also shown. The video, accompanied by Lim Hyungjoo’s song “Become a Thousand Winds,” included the lyrics “Please stop your tears as you stand in front of my picture,” conveying the hope that the sorrow of the victims, the injured, the bereaved families, and citizens would be shared and that comfort would reach everyone.

Mayor Kang offered prayers for the victims and expressed his gratitude to the officials who immediately rushed to Muan Airport, the joint memorial altar, and funeral homes to quietly fulfill their duties following the disaster.

Mayor Kang said, “Even in their confusion, the bereaved families I met at the funeral home expressed their gratitude to the public officials. On behalf of the bereaved families, I want to thank you,” and added, “I sincerely appreciate the public officials who stood by the bereaved families during perhaps the most difficult moments of their lives. Supporting citizens whose lives have been shaken to the core, and helping them feel that life is still worth living despite their sorrow, is what meaningful administration is about.”

He went on to emphasize the need to restore daily life. He called for the steady implementation of economic policies to revive the frozen local economy, as well as industrial policies such as artificial intelligence and future vehicles, and urged support for inclusive care policies such as “Gwangju-style Integrated Care” to ensure no neighbors are left behind.

Mayor Kang stated, “Now is the time to restore the daily lives of the bereaved families, citizens, and ultimately the nation.” He stressed the importance of enacting a special law to support Jeju Air victims for the recovery of the bereaved families, fostering a “warmer local economy” for citizens, and realizing a “stronger democracy” for the nation’s recovery.

Mayor Kang concluded, “Focus on building a stronger democracy and a warmer local economy for the restoration of everyone’s daily lives, and always be a pillar of support for the citizens. Let the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday be a time for all to rise again. I am proud of the sweat and tears shed by our public officials?they shine brighter than ever.”