Jeju Air crash response team led by interim officials as concerns of administration vacuum grows
Published: 30 Dec. 2024, 18:02
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- CHO JUNG-WOO
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Acting President Choi Sang-mok meets with the bereaved families of the Jeju Air disaster at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Monday. [MINISTRY OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/30/ccd02a29-b460-4249-ade5-3c9fb1eef474.jpg)
Acting President Choi Sang-mok meets with the bereaved families of the Jeju Air disaster at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Monday. [MINISTRY OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE]
The command center responding to the Jeju Air crash, which claimed the lives of 179 passengers, has been operating under interim acting officials in the wake of President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law declaration, renewing concerns about an administrative vacuum in the central government amid a national disaster.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, responsible for managing national disaster responses, is currently led by acting President Choi Sang-mok, who assumed the role following the impeachment of acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo last Friday. Choi, who is also the deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, activated the headquarters around an hour after the crash occurred on Sunday morning.
In response to the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022, Prime Minister Han oversaw the headquarters, with then-Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, who resigned after the martial law declaration, serving as deputy chief and Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong as the second deputy chief.
In contrast, for the Jeju Air disaster, Choi, who is inexperienced in disaster responses, is leading response efforts, with Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo as deputy chief and acting Interior Minister Ko Gi-dong as the second deputy chief. The police commissioner role has also been filled by National Police Agency Deputy Commissioner Lee Ho-young, due to the arrest of Commissioner Cho Ji-ho for his involvement in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law declaration.
This left four out of the five major positions at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters occupied by interim acting officials.
![Acting President Choi Sang-mok, left, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik meet at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/30/c1b81092-21a2-465c-843c-3b692d0e1979.jpg)
Acting President Choi Sang-mok, left, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik meet at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Despite concerns over the adequacy of the command center, a high-ranking official from the Office for Government Policy Coordination said that “all government organizations are aiding the acting president,” emphasizing that there are “technically no significant issues” as the government quickly transitioned into disaster response mode.
On Monday, Choi in his capacity as the new acting president held his first meeting with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik to discuss response measures and support for the victims and their families. The two held a closed-door meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, without making any public statements.
However, a senior official from the ruling party said the command center has “collapsed” due to consecutive impeachments, raising concerns about the potential impact of the administrative vacuum on managing major crises.
The presidential office, which had refrained from publicizing its schedule following the martial law declaration, issued a response to the tragedy on Sunday. It said that Chief of Staff Chung Jin-seok had chaired an emergency meeting to “coordinate cooperation and responsibilities among relevant ministries,” with the meeting outcomes subsequently reported to the acting president.
BY HEO JIN, CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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