“What can I say? My heart is breaking. I raised them so carefully...”

“The youngest who did all the hard work in the house like the eldest daughter”
“My heart is breaking. They suffered so much...”

“It feels like time has stopped. How could this happen? My husband left without any explanation.”

Following the Jeju Air passenger plane crash at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam, which resulted in 179 deaths, the identities of 140 victims have been tentatively confirmed. Throughout the airport, bereaved families called out the names of their loved ones, sobbing uncontrollably.

Around 8 a.m. on the 30th, in the first-floor lobby of Muan International Airport in Jeonnam, bereaved families wept as they called out the names of those they had lost in the temporary shelters set up by the government and various relief organizations. Some family members, looking dazed, stared blankly at the TV broadcast throughout.

Park, whose younger sister and brother-in-law were on board the crashed aircraft, said, "My sister was the youngest, but she took care of all the difficult tasks in our family like the eldest daughter," adding, "My heart is torn apart. She suffered all her life..." unable to continue speaking.

After reports that all passengers except two crew members had died, bereaved families who had spent a sleepless night simply wept in silence. One said, "It feels like time has stopped. How could this happen? My husband left without any explanation," crying out in anguish.

Volunteers moved busily among the temporary shelters, helping bereaved families who sat on the floor with their heads bowed to stand up. Kim, who has volunteered for several years, said, "I know that even saying 'stay strong' is a luxury," adding, "I just quietly listen to their stories or cry with them."

A citizen who planned to volunteer at the joint memorial altar at 11 a.m. said, "I asked my husband for understanding and decided to volunteer on the last day of the year and the first day of the new year," adding, "I will mourn the pain that cannot be shared from a distance."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a briefing for the families of passengers at Muan Airport terminal on the morning of the 30th and announced, "As of 7:25 a.m., the identities of 140 people have been confirmed." Photo by Song Bohyun

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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a briefing for the families of the passengers at the Muan Airport terminal this morning, announcing, "As of 7:25 a.m., the identities of 140 victims have been confirmed."

The authorities handling the aftermath, including the Ministry of Land, said, "So far, 165 victims have been placed in the temporary mortuary," adding, "We will contact families again once the investigation and autopsies are completed and the bodies are ready to be released."

Of the 181 people on board the Jeju Air flight that crashed the previous day, only two crew members survived. The authorities have been working through the night to identify the victims and recover the remains. The recovered remains have been temporarily placed in the Muan Airport hangar, with freezing facilities prepared for preservation. Lee Jincheol, the head of the Busan Regional Aviation Administration and the on-site manager for the Ministry of Land, explained, "We plan to install six more freezers by 2 p.m. today, increasing the total capacity to eleven."

Personal belongings are also being collected at the Muan Airport runway site, which will be preserved for the time being for the Ministry of Land and other agencies' investigation into the cause of the accident.

Meanwhile, Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 from Bangkok, Thailand, attempted an emergency landing at Muan Airport runway at around 9:03 a.m. the previous day with its landing gear (aircraft wheels) not deployed, and the aircraft exploded after hitting the outer wall. The aircraft involved was a B737-800, carrying 175 passengers and 6 crew members, a total of 181 people, of whom 179 died at the scene.