Families devastated as funerals begin for victims of Jeju Air disaster

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Families devastated as funerals begin for victims of Jeju Air disaster

Published: 02 Jan. 2025, 18:38

SEO JI-EUN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Visitors walk into a funeral home in Seo District, Gwangju, on Dec. 31, where a memorial altar was set up for victims of the deadly Jeju Air crash. [YONHAP]

Grieving families bid farewell to their loved ones Thursday at funerals for the first four of the 179 victims killed in Sunday morning's devastating Jeju Air crash, including a service for a Thai national.

At 6:30 a.m., the coffin of a 67-year-old male victim was borne out from a funeral home in Gwangju.

His remains, relatively intact, had allowed the family to begin the funeral process earlier in the week on Monday.

Around 30 family members and friends gathered in a subdued atmosphere to pay their final respects. As the victim’s nephew carried his portrait out of the hall, quiet sobs could be heard among the attendees.

One mourner from the victim's church waved toward the departing coffin with trembling hands, saying through tears, “Although we can no longer see you in this world, we pray to meet again in heaven soon.”

“He was so happy just days ago, celebrating the birth of his second grandchild. I can’t believe he’s gone so suddenly,” said a 65-year-old high school classmate of the deceased, surnamed Gong, who traveled 320 kilometers from Seongnam, Gyeonggi.

“He had a travel agency in Gwangju, and business was finally recovering after Covid-19. We had even planned a class reunion for the new year,” he added, struggling to finish his sentence as he was overcome with emotion.

The victim was returning to Gwangju on the day of the crash after accompanying several tour groups to Thailand.

A banner offering condolences to the victims of the Jeju Air crash is displayed at a funeral home in Gwangsan District, Gwangju, on Jan. 2. Four victims’ funeral processes were completed that day, with their coffins borne out. [JO SU-BIN]

Later in the day, at 1:40 p.m., the coffin of a 45-year-old Thai woman married to a Korean departed from a funeral home in Gwangsan District, Gwangju. She had been returning to Korea after visiting her hometown in Thailand when the crash occurred.

Thai Ambassador to Korea Tanee Sangrat, who attended the ceremony, said her cremated remains will be "enshrined half in Korea and half in Thailand."

Her Korean husband, relatives and government officials waited silently during the cremation at a park in Gwangju.

“She was kind, treated my parents well, and was truly the best wife I could have ever asked for,” the husband said. “It’s heartbreaking and devastating that she left us so soon.”

A Jeju Air employee provided updates on the proceedings to her family in Thailand through a video call.

In addition to these two victims, the coffins of two others — a flight attendant and another victim whose remains had been handed over to the family late Wednesday after an initial ceremony was held without the body — were also borne out on Thursday.

Twenty-four victims’ remains had been handed over to their families as of Thursday morning, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

While all 179 victims have been identified, not all remains have been reunited with their families. This is due to the lengthy process of collecting, analyzing and verifying fragmented remains by the National Forensic Service. DNA samples are cross-checked with family samples, followed by autopsies and inspections before the remains are released.

“We received DNA analysis results for an additional 65 victims late last night,” Transport Minister Park Sang-woo said during a Thursday briefing. “We will confirm with families and proceed with handovers in sequence.”

Bags and suitcases belonging to victims of the Jeju Air crash are seen scattered at the crash site at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Jan. 2. [YONHAP]

Also on Thursday, authorities began returning personal belongings of the Jeju Air crash victims to their families. Over 200 personal items, such as travel bags, wallets and passports — excluding those required for investigations — were returned.

Immediate relatives were transported by bus to an airport storage facility where the items had been preserved. Handed with a box, they then returned to their tents inside the airport.

One 68-year-old man broke down as he held a box containing belongings from his wife and daughter, both of whom were killed in the crash.

“I’ve been left alone, having lost my entire family,” he said. “All that returned from their trip were their passports and wallets.”

Another relative returned carrying a damaged suitcase with a visible name tag listing the owner’s name and contact information. Many families remarked on the lingering burned smell of the returned items.

Members of the police special task force search the Jeju Air crash site at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Jan. 2. [NEWS1]

Mobile phones, tablets and other digital devices belonging to the victims are undergoing forensic analysis.

Authorities are hopeful that data from these devices may provide insights into the moments leading up to the crash, as families reported receiving messages from victims shortly before the crash. Authorities are also exploring ways to use device backups to notify the victims’ acquaintances of their passing.

A joint investigation team recovers the plane's engine buried in the embankment of a localizer at the Jeju Air crash site at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Jan. 2. [YONHAP]

The Transport Ministry began Thursday on-site inspections of navigation safety facilities, including localizers, at airports across the country, with Muan International Airport's localizer widely blamed for the severity of the Jeju Air crash.

Authorities also completed converting audio data extracted from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) into accessible files for analysis.

Jeju Air’s Flight 7C 2216, a Boeing 737-800 returning from Thailand’s Bangkok to Muan, South Jeolla, carrying 181 people — 175 passengers, including two foreigners, and six flight attendants — burst into flames after it veered off the runway during an emergency landing with landing wheels up and crashed into a localizer on Sunday morning.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON, JO SU-BIN, CHOI KYEONG-HO, HWANG HEE-GYU, SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]