United in grief, families of Jeju Air crash victims press for answers

It was the site of the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil. Now, the terminal at Muan International Airport serves as a community center for grieving relatives of the 179 people who perished in the Jeju Air crash in December 2024.

- John Yoon

MUAN, South Korea — It was the site of the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil. Now, the terminal at Muan International Airport serves as a community center for grieving relatives of the 179 people who perished in the Jeju Air crash in December 2024.

Families gather to talk, eat together — some even stay overnight in tents. It was in that cavernous building in southwestern South Korea that the families waited anxiously for news after Jeju Air flight 7C2216 crash-landed on Dec 29, 2024.

Then there were tears and outbursts of anger as officials periodically read out the names of the dead, many identified by DNA tests.

"We're a family now," said Mr. Son Joo-taek, who lost his son in the crash and was among about 20 people who sat around a row of folding tables that held water and snacks on a recent Saturday. "The people here understand what others just can't."

Lately, the talk among some of the grieving families has turned towards action: They want to find out what caused the crash.

The jet — carrying mostly vacationers home from a year-end trip to Thailand — belly-flopped onto the runway and sped along until it hit a concrete berm and exploded into flames, leaving just two survivors.

Relatives of those killed say they are unhappy with the trickle of information from officials and the refusal to release records, including transcripts from the control tower.

They want to know more about the reports of a bird strike a few minutes before the landing, how the jet came down without its landing gear and why the berm it hit was not designed to give way.

In desperation, some have turned to books and videos to learn about aviation safety, including how flight recorders, air traffic controllers, localizers, and jet engines work. They are also looking into airport design.