Bereaved families of the 2024 Jeju Air plane crash victims protested on Monday in front of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul over the recent discovery of additional remains in the wreckage. They condemned the sloppy disaster recovery process and demanded an apology from the government along with a thorough investigation.
On December 29, 2024, a Jeju Air jet from Bangkok erupted into flames after crashing into a concrete mound during an emergency belly landing at Muan International Airport, about 290 kilometers south of Seoul, killing 179 passengers and crew members.
The bereaved families held a news conference on Monday, March 9, 2026, in front of Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office in central Seoul, to protest the discovery of additional remains and belongings of the victims in the wreckage. Government officials and police investigators found nine pieces of remains presumed to belong to the crash victims during a reexamination of the wreckage on February 26, 2026. Among them, a 25-centimeter-long bone has been confirmed as a victim's remains.
"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 severe accountability for land ministry officials involved in the sloppy disaster recovery process. This incident highlights ongoing repercussions from the Jeju Air crash and raises questions about the nation's disaster management framework.
