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Jeju Air's parent company apologizes to crash victims' families for affiliate's festive year-end event

Published: 05 Jan. 2025, 16:27 Updated: 05 Jan. 2025, 17:12

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

AK Holdings CEO Ko Joon, center, apologizes to bereaved family members of the victims of the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport on Jan. 4 after confirming that an Aekyung Group affiliate held an event for employees during the state-designated weeklong mourning period. AK Holdings is the holdings company for Aekyung Group and is the majority stakeholder of Jeju Air. [YONHAP]

Executives from Aekyung Group, the parent company of Jeju Air, apologized to families of the victims who died in the recent crash of one of the low-cost carrier's planes after it became known that an Aekyung affiliate held a festive event for employees two days after the crash happened.

The event, held on Dec. 31, was also during the state-designated weeklong mourning period that ran through Jan. 4 to commemorate the victims, during which many government and private company-led events were canceled.

Lee Hyuk, a representative for the victims’ family members, expressed the families’ anger toward Aekyung at a briefing held at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Saturday.

“We are extremely hurt and angered after seeing news reports that Aekyung held a year-end event at a hotel owned by the group during the mourning period,” Lee said.

AK Holdings CEO Ko Joon confirmed the reports that an Aekyung affiliate held a townhall meeting that involved a raffle and other celebratory events, while apologizing to the victims’ family members later that day.

“While the hotel where the year-end meeting was held is operated by an outsourced agency, all responsibility lies with us, especially myself,” he told the bereaved family members gathered at the airport’s second floor.

“I came here, feeling wretched, to deliver my apologies,” he said. The CEO added that he would take on all responsibilities if a similar event would recur.

AK Holdings CEO Ko Joon apologizes to bereaved family members of the victims of the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport on Jan. 4 after confirming that an Aekyung Group affiliate held an event for employees during the state-designated weeklong mourning period. [YONHAP]

The event in question was a townhall meeting at the four-star Novotel Ambassador Suwon hotel near Suwon Station in Gyeonggi attended by around 30 to 40 Novotel employees, according to AK Holdings. The hotel is owned by Aekyung Group’s department store chain AK Plaza and operated by French multinational hospitality company Accor.

The one-hour event reportedly involved introductions for new employees, an awards ceremony, birthday congratulations, a raffle and a cake cutting.

“The event was indeed held at Novotel, but it was a monthly meeting with light refreshments held for long-term employees and not a year-end party,” AK Holdings said in a statement on Saturday.

Aekyung Group notified all of its affiliates that all events, including year-end and New Year ceremonies, would be canceled, the holdings company said, but the hotel “was not under control” as its personnel, training and administration are managed by an outsourced agency.

“We admit that we have not properly paid attention. We will educate all our employees to watch themselves in the future,” AK Holdings said.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]