Choi Acting Director: "'12·29 Passenger Plane Accident Victim Support Team' to Fully Operate Next Week"

Opening Remarks at the 19th Meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters

Yonhap News

Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, announced on the 17th that "starting next week, the '12·29 Passenger Plane Accident Victim Support Group,' a pan-government support organization dedicated to assisting the bereaved families, will be fully operational" in relation to the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster.

At the 19th meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), held at the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room in the Government Seoul Office that morning, Acting President Choi stated, "Legislative discussions including support measures for the bereaved families will be actively conducted centered around the National Assembly."

He also instructed related ministries and agencies to "closely communicate with the National Assembly to ensure that bills supporting the preparation of assistance measures prioritizing the wishes of the bereaved families, accident investigations in accordance with international standards, and the promotion of recurrence prevention measures are promptly prepared."

Regarding the accident investigation, he said, "Our investigators, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, and the manufacturer are jointly conducting the investigation into the cause of the accident," and promised, "The cause investigation and analysis will be carried out as objectively and fairly as possible by mobilizing all available means, and the investigation process and results will be transparently disclosed to the bereaved families and the public."

On the safety inspection of the aircraft operation system, he stated, "Starting this week, a comprehensive safety inspection involving both public and private sectors is being conducted at all airports and airlines nationwide," and added, "Based on the comprehensive inspection results of all airport runways, navigation facilities, and overall facilities nationwide, as well as the entire safety system of domestic airlines, innovative measures for overall aviation safety, including facility and system improvements, will be prepared."

Acting President Choi instructed the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, saying, "Please conduct the safety inspections more thoroughly than ever to prepare effective measures that will reassure the public."

He also mentioned, "A joint memorial service for the victims will be held tomorrow at Muan Airport," and requested, "Please make every effort to prepare the memorial service so that it can be conducted with the utmost respect and from the perspective of the bereaved families."

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