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| ▲ The bereaved families of the victims of the 2024 Jeju Air plane crash hold a news conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on March 9, 2026, to protest the discovery of additional remains of the victims in the wreckage. (Yonhap) |
Jeju Air crash-victims remains
Families of Jeju Air crash victims protest discovery of additional remains
SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- The bereaved families of the victims of the Jeju Air plane crash in late 2024 on Monday protested the recent discovery of additional remains and belongings of the victims in the wreckage.
They held a news conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office and residential compound in central Seoul, to condemn the "sloppy" disaster recovery process and demand an investigation into the truth and punishment for those responsible.
A Jeju Air jet from Bangkok erupted into flames on Dec. 29, 2024, after crashing into the localizer's concrete mound when it made an emergency belly landing at Muan International Airport, about 290 kilometers south of Seoul, claiming the lives of 179 passengers and crew members.
Government officials and police investigators discovered nine pieces of remains presumed to belong to the crash victims during their reexamination of the wreckage on Feb. 26. Among them, one 25-centimeter-long bone has been confirmed to be the remains of a victim.
"The discovery of additional remains of the victims more than one year after the disaster demonstrates the absence of a national disaster management system. The government must apologize to the bereaved families and thoroughly investigate the truth behind its failure to deal with the disaster," the families said in a statement.
They also demanded that land ministry officials involved in the sloppy disaster recovery process be severely held accountable.
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