Muan Jeju Air Disaster Families: "Over 10 Suspected Human Remains Discovered at Accident Site"

"Wreckage Remains Uncollected"
Over a Month of Reinvestigation Yields 64 Human Remains

The families of the victims of the December 29 Jeju Air passenger plane disaster have discovered more than 10 objects at the accident site that are presumed to be human remains.

According to Yonhap News Agency on March 15, the December 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air Disaster Victims' Families Association stated, "While patrolling the outer perimeter of the collapsed airport wall at the time of the accident, we found more than 10 objects that appear to be human remains," adding, "There are still pieces of wreckage that have not been collected, remaining on the navigation safety facility’s barbed wire fence."

On the 26th of last month, the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board and the Jeonnam Police Department Forensic Investigation Unit were investigating the wreckage of the Jeju Air Flight 12-29 disaster behind the airport fire station at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam. Photo by Yonhap News

The families believe that the objects found this time are highly likely to be unrecovered remains from the site, and have requested forensic analysis from the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency's Forensic Science Unit. A representative from the Families Association said, "Recently, remains have been continuously discovered among the wreckage, so we carried out patrols, considering the possibility that additional remains might be at the accident site, and visually identified many objects that appear to be human remains." The representative continued, "A full reinvestigation is needed, not only of the wreckage stored at the airport fire station, but also of the entire area surrounding the accident site."

Currently, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board have been reinvestigating the accident wreckage, which was initially collected and gathered behind the airport fire station, twice a week for over a month. So far, 64 remains have been found in this wreckage, and among them, 9 have been identified as belonging to 7 victims.

According to the December 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air Disaster Victims' Families Association, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, and the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency's Forensic Science Unit conducted a joint reinvestigation on the 13th and recovered an additional tooth and 30 pieces of micro bone tissue presumed to belong to the victims, as well as one mobile phone.

Since the reinvestigation began on February 12, a total of 707 bundles of personal belongings have been discovered as of this day, and a total of 5 mobile phones have been collected. As remains continue to be found during the reinvestigation, the victims' families have demanded that those responsible be held accountable, citing inadequate initial response by the authorities during the early stages of the disaster recovery.

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