Families of Crew Members Grieve Silently: “The Pain of Losing a Loved One is Universal”

On December 30, at 8:35 AM, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced that the identities of 141 victims from the tragic airline incident had been confirmed and communicated to their bereaved families. The remains of the 179 victims have been securely stored in hangars and facilities at Muan Airport. After the completion of forensic examinations, these remains will be returned to their families. In response to the situation, authorities have increased the number of temporary freezing units from six to eleven to properly preserve the bodies.

Among those deceased were four crew members of Jeju Air. Remarkably, two crew members—a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s—were rescued from the tail section of the aircraft and are currently receiving emergency treatment at hospitals in Mokpo, before being transferred to facilities in Seoul.

38 Victims Remain Unidentified, Including the Captain and First Officer

While all 179 victims were recovered by 8:38 PM on December 29, 38 individuals remain unidentified, including the captain and first officer of the flight. Authorities confirmed the identities of two cabin crew members late the previous afternoon, including the youngest crew member, who was a 23-year-old female cabin attendant.

Family members of the Jeju Air crew arrived at Muan Airport the previous day, anxiously waiting alongside the passengers’ families for updates on their loved ones’ identities. The families of the unidentified crew members are enduring profound grief as they await confirmation of the names of the deceased.

A representative from Jeju Air commented, “At this moment, our primary focus is on managing the aftermath of the accident and providing support to the victims and their families. We are unable to gather further details regarding our staff at this time.” They added somberly, “The pain of losing a loved one is a universal sorrow.”

Families Await Full Identification Before Proceeding with Funerals

The families of the victims from Jeju Air have chosen to postpone all funeral arrangements until every victim has been recovered and identified. This decision was shared by Park Han-shin, a spokesperson for the bereaved families, during a meeting held in the Muan Airport terminal.

“As long as there are remains that have not been identified, all funeral preparations will remain on hold,” Park emphasized. They urged everyone to refrain from discussing individual funeral plans at this sensitive time.

In related news, Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, which departed from Bangkok, Thailand, encountered a critical landing issue around 9:03 AM on December 29. The landing gear failed to deploy properly, leading the aircraft to strike an exterior wall of the airport. This catastrophic event resulted in an explosion and fire, claiming the lives of all 175 passengers and four crew members aboard.

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