100 Days Since Jeju Air Disaster... "No Comfort Without Truth"

Bereaved Families' Support Team: "Communication Records Must Be Disclosed"
"Government's Non-Disclosure Is Secondary Harm"

On the 100th day since the December 29 Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, a legal organization responsible for supporting the victims has demanded the government fully disclose communication records and thoroughly investigate the incident.

A memorial service was held on the morning of the 5th at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do, two days before the 100th day since the December 29 Jeju Air passenger plane disaster. Photo by Yonhap News

The Jeju Air Disaster Legal Support Team of the Gwangju Bar Association and the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) held a press conference at the Gwangju Bar Association's main conference room on the 7th, stating, "Time is passing without the cause of the accident being clarified. We will take legal action together with the bereaved families."

They said, "Starting with a request for disclosure of the communication records, we are also preparing to file a civil application for preservation of evidence," and added, "If the families request, we will actively consider filing a criminal complaint."

Although 100 days have passed since the accident, the cause remains unknown. Compensation procedures have not progressed, and even the responsible parties have not been charged. The bereaved families appealed, "While waiting for the investigation results, we are left with only prolonged pain, without truth or comfort."

The support team particularly took issue with the government providing only a portion of the 4 minutes and 7 seconds of pre-accident communication records to some of the bereaved families in a limited manner. The families' right to participate was not properly guaranteed, as they were notified only a day in advance, and they were required to sign a "non-disclosure and non-commentary pledge," which effectively blocked public discussion.

They stated, "Given the significant public interest and the fact that the communication records are a key clue to the cause of the accident, why are they being concealed?" and added, "The Accident Investigation Board should transparently disclose the entire communication record from 10 minutes before the accident, following necessary procedures such as voice modulation."

Neither the current Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Act nor the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) convention stipulates that communication records must be kept confidential. The Accident Investigation Board has the discretion to decide whether to disclose them.

The support team also raised several key questions, including suspicions of a bird strike: the circumstances of the go-around attempt immediately after the bird strike, the reason for a 180-degree turn immediately after the go-around, the background for attempting to land with the landing gear not deployed, and the fact that the aircraft landed on its belly even after the black box stopped recording.

They emphasized, "Without a thorough investigation, proper compensation and measures to prevent recurrence cannot be achieved," and added, "As the saying goes, delayed justice is not justice; the investigation must proceed without delay."

A bereaved family member who attended the press conference said, "I am afraid the disaster will be forgotten amid the impeachment situation and the presidential election," and added, "Forcing us to pledge not to disclose control tower records or expose them to the media is no different from secondary harm. The bereaved families have the right to know the truth about the accident and to grieve."

On the morning of January 18, the stairs at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam were decorated as the "Stairs of Remembrance," with handwritten letters attached to commemorate the victims. Photo by Song Bohyun

Meanwhile, Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which departed from Bangkok, Thailand, exploded after its fuselage collided with a concrete structure during landing at Muan International Airport at around 9:03 a.m. on December 29 last year. Of the 181 people on board, 179 died in the accident.