SEOUL, South Korea — Bereaved families of the South Korea plane crash victims gathered at the crash site on New Year’s Day to honor their loved ones. Meanwhile, investigators announced progress in retrieving data from one of the black boxes recovered from the wreckage.
The tragic incident occurred on Sunday when a Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air crashed at Muan International Airport in southern South Korea. Out of 181 passengers and crew aboard, only two survived.
Details of the Crash
Video footage showed the aircraft landing on its belly without its landing gear deployed, skidding at high speed off the runway, and colliding with a concrete fence before bursting into flames. Investigators noted apparent engine issues alongside the landing gear malfunction. Air traffic controllers had warned the pilot of potential bird strikes prior to the crash, and the plane had issued a distress signal before impact.
South Korea’s Ministry of Transport confirmed on Wednesday that data from the cockpit voice recorder, one of the two black boxes, has been successfully extracted and converted into audio files. However, the damaged flight data recorder will be sent to the United States for further analysis.
Grieving Families Pay Tribute
On Wednesday, families of the victims held a memorial service at the crash site. Many placed white flowers and knelt before a memorial table adorned with traditional Korean dishes, including “ddeokguk,” a rice cake soup typically consumed on New Year’s Day. The victims included 179 South Koreans and two Thai nationals, many of whom were returning from holidays in Bangkok.
The Transport Ministry has completed the complex process of identifying all 179 deceased and has begun returning the bodies to their families. As of Wednesday, 11 bodies had been handed over. South Korea is observing a seven-day national mourning period in the wake of the disaster, the deadliest aviation accident in the nation’s history in decades.
Safety Investigations Underway
The crash has prompted widespread safety inspections of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by South Korean airlines. A U.S. investigative team, including representatives from Boeing, arrived on Tuesday to examine the crash site.
Officials are also evaluating whether the airport’s localizer—a system of antennas located within the concrete fence—should have been built with lighter materials to minimize damage during accidents. This review aims to identify and implement improved safety measures to prevent future tragedies.
