[Aircraft Disaster] "My Son Buried in My Heart"... 100th Day Memorial Event

100 Days Since the December 29 Jeju Air Disaster
Memorial Events Include Spring Flower Beds and Handwritten Letters
Mourners Visit from Across the Country, Including Gyeonggi Province
Bereaved Families Stress the Importance of Thorough Investigation

On the 100th day of the December 29 Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, on the morning of the 7th, bereaved families are arranging 300 "spring flower beds" in front of the portrait of the victims at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do. Photo by Min Chanki

"My son, forever buried in my heart, is there no way I could see you just one more time...?"

On the morning of the 7th, the 100th day since the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster on December 29, the scene was Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do.

Since the tragedy, the bereaved families who have quietly remained at Muan Airport were creating 300 'spring flower beds' in front of the victims' memorial portraits. Although the weather was cold and biting at the time of the accident, they wanted to bring the spring that had quietly arrived to their loved ones as well.

The families smiled brightly as they placed flowers in front of the victims' photos, but soon held back tears. While decorating the memorial altar with flowers, some touched the portraits and choked back tears, saying, "My son, it's already spring. Please, if only I could see you just once more."

On the 100th day since the tragedy, people from all over the country came to pay their respects. Lee Chun (70), who lost a junior from his hometown in the Jeju Air disaster, visited Muan Airport with his family from Gyeonggi Province to mourn. Lee said, "A junior from my elementary and middle school in my hometown was a victim of this tragedy. I stopped by briefly because I missed him so much," and added, "I can't even imagine how much the bereaved families have suffered over these 100 days. The cause of the accident must be identified as soon as possible."

On this day, a memorial event to honor the 179 victims was held at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do. The event began with a press conference by the Bereaved Families Association, followed by the creation of spring flower beds and writing letters by hand.

The Bereaved Families Association held a press conference in the second-floor waiting area and stated, "Psychological support for overcoming the trauma of the bereaved families is not being provided in a truly appropriate way. We want one-on-one matching for the bereaved families using the existing trauma center," and emphasized, "There must be real change so that tragedies like this never happen again."

The bereaved families stressed the importance of thoroughly identifying the cause of the accident, including reviewing the black box, which stopped recording.

They said, "The process of investigating the cause of the accident needs to be faster and more thorough," and added, "We have heard that materials such as CCTV footage are being reviewed to examine the actions during the '4 minutes and 7 seconds' before the accident, when the black box stopped recording. This review must be completed quickly, and a thorough investigation of the engine is needed."

On the 16th day since the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, a mailbox for delivering condolence messages to the victims was installed on the first floor of Muan International Airport on the morning of the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News

The bereaved families then carefully wrote down the words they could not say to their loved ones in handwritten letters.

One family member wiped away tears as they wrote, "My siblings, forever buried in my heart, I still can't accept your memorial photos. I hoped it wouldn't be you, but how could I ever forget you?"

Another family member wrote, "A flower garden has been created in front of you. I hope you, my sons and daughters, are happy in heaven," one letter at a time.

One family member said, "It still feels like my son is right beside me, and I miss him so much that I wrote a letter to tell him to be well," and added, "Since the tragedy, I haven't left this place for even a single day. I don't think I can leave until a proper investigation is conducted or a special law is enacted to prevent a recurrence."

Chun Byunghyun, executive director of the Bereaved Families Association, said, "The delegation is also made up of bereaved families, and we prepared for the 100th day so that other families could find some healing through the spring flower beds and other activities," and added, "The cause of the Jeju Air disaster has still not been identified, and it is not over. The bereaved families are going through a difficult time trying to recover emotionally, so we hope that citizens will continue to pay attention and watch over us."