South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday apologised to the families of the 179 people who died in a Jeju Air crash a year ago, vowing to reveal the truth behind the worst aircraft accident on the country’s soil.
The families of the victims held a moving memorial service at Muan International Airport to mark the anniversary. They were overwhelmed with grief and frustration because, a year after the crash, little has been revealed to explain what happened.
Kim Yu-jin, a representative of the families, said the government has wasted time focusing on cleaning up the aftermath of the accident instead of investigating why it occurred.
“We will not stop until the truth is revealed and those responsible are held accountable so that the lives of the 179 people were not lost in vain,” she declared at the service, which was attended by family members, the Speaker of Parliament, and other government officials.
The families have demanded answers about the crash after investigators delayed releasing a report on what happened on December 29, 2024, when the Jeju Air plane crashed into an embankment at the end of the runway.
The plane burst into flames, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. The government-run Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board stated in a preliminary report in January that both of the plane’s engines suffered bird strikes.
However, questions remain about safety lapses, the design of the runway at Muan International Airport where the crash occurred, and the actions taken by the pilots in the final minutes of the flight.
President Lee, who has prioritized public and workplace safety since taking office in June, said it was his duty to ensure that tragedies like the Jeju plane crash are not repeated.
“As president, with the responsibility to protect the lives and safety of the people, I offer my sincerest apologies,” Lee said in a statement released Monday.
“The disaster clearly revealed the systemic problems and limitations of our society,” Lee said. “What is needed now is not empty promises or words, but real change and action.”
Parliament has been reviewing a plan to reform the air accident investigation board to ensure its independence and greater expertise.
Some relatives have claimed that investigators appeared to attribute the crash to pilot error rather than exploring other factors, such as the embankment at the end of the runway, which likely made the crash more deadly.
In July, investigators stated that the left engine, which sustained less damage than the right after bird strikes, shut down before the forced landing.
Few additional details have emerged from the investigation, which was hampered because both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder stopped recording in the final seconds of the flight.
Experts say that most air accidents result from multiple factors and cautioned against placing undue emphasis on incomplete evidence.