[The Editors' Verdict] Unsent Letters at Muan Airport

"I love you," "I'm sorry," "I miss you"
The 'Stairway of Remembrance' on the second floor of the terminal is filled with messages
A vow to never forget the tragedy

There is an extreme sorrow in this world that no comfort, no matter how heartfelt, can ever soothe. Christian Bobin, a French writer who wished to “write books that can still be read after losing a loved one,” once said, “Writing is drawing a door on an insurmountable wall, then opening that door.” Writing means doing something close to the impossible. Yet, if we have even a single poem in our pocket, we can cross death by risking everything. Reading, writing, and loving are the paths that save humanity. I believe that when what is pent up in the hearts of the living bursts out unbearably, that deep and poignant expression becomes a letter that touches the souls of the deceased.

As of the 17th day since the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster on the 14th, all 179 victims have found eternal rest, but letters that have not reached them continue to wait endlessly for their absent owners at Muan International Airport. Bereaved families and mourners have pressed their unspoken words into Post-it notes and pieces of paper less than a hand’s width, soothing their grief. The words most frequently conveyed by the families on letters attached to the airport waiting area and the barbed wire near the accident site were “I love you” and “I’m sorry.”

On the “Stairway of Remembrance” leading to the second floor of the Muan Airport terminal, thousands of colorful handwritten letters from bereaved families and acquaintances are densely packed. “Honey, I miss you so much.” “Mom, I’m now a senior in high school. I’ve finally grown up and become more mature, but I won’t be able to show you. Keep watching over me. I love you.” “Please come visit me in my dreams. I’ll be waiting.”

A message commemorating the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster is posted on the Memorial Staircase in the waiting lounge of Muan International Airport. Photo by Yonhap News

Mourners also expressed words of comfort that are difficult to say lightly. The person who created the “Stairway of Remembrance” at Muan Airport is Lee Geun-ho, the head of the Handwritten Letter Movement Headquarters. Upon hearing the news of the disaster, Lee took Post-it notes and pens and boarded a bus to Muan Airport to spread messages of consolation. He handed out pens and paper to mourners, asking them to “leave letters.” Lee, who lost his fourth-grade son in an accident 30 years ago, founded the Handwritten Letter Movement Headquarters and has collected letters from mourners at sites of tragedies such as the Sewol ferry disaster and the Itaewon tragedy, delivering them to the bereaved families. Next to the stairs on the first floor of the airport stands a red mailbox inscribed with the phrase “To Those Who Became Stars.”

Although the funerals for the victims of the Jeju Air disaster have concluded, the bereaved families continue to return to Muan Airport. The Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster Families Association is reportedly planning a joint memorial service on the 18th to honor the victims’ spirits and is discussing future responses, including investigating the cause of the accident. A temporary tent where the families stayed remains on the second floor of the airport terminal.

The reason the bereaved families gather again at Muan Airport is above all to vow never to forget the deaths. While we cannot truly comfort the families’ grief, as human beings we can only fulfill our duties and do our best. Professor Hong Sung-wook of Seoul National University’s Department of Science Studies, who traced the reasons for repeated disasters in South Korea in his books The Birth of Disasters in Korea and We Do Not Know Disasters, said, “Survivors live in a slightly safer world, indebted to the sacrifices of the deceased,” adding, “This is because the difficult struggle of disaster survivors and bereaved families has borne fruit.”

We are all part of a disaster community, whether we have directly experienced disasters or not. If we fail to share this, we will gain no lessons from the horrific disaster that claimed 179 lives. This is why, amid the chaotic political engineering that has become an issue black hole during the state of emergency, we must never forget this disaster.

Cho Young-chul, Head of Content Editing Team 1 and Opinion Team

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.