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Majority of justices view impeachment vote on acting president as valid: court
The Constitutional Court of Korea, which is tasked with reviewing the impeachment cases of both President Yoon Suk Yeol and acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, said Monday that a majority of its justices view the National Assembly's impeachment of Han as valid. According to court press officer Lee Jin, the court regards Han's authority and power as acting president as "suspended" following parliament's passage of an impeachment motion against Han on Friday. "A majority of the justi
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Two Thai victims identified in plane crash
The Thai ambassador to South Korea, Tanee Sangrat, confirmed the death of two Thai nationals in South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster, according to Thai news reports Monday. The two victims, identified as Jongluk Doungmanee, 45, and Sirithon Chaue, 22, were among the 179 fatalities from the Jeju Air-operated Boeing 737-800 that crashed Sunday. Only two of the 181 people on the plane survived. In a statement shared by the Bangkok Post, Tanee expressed his condolences. "I wish to extend my hea
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Bereaved family members reveal last messages sent by victims of deadly plane crash
The final texts sent by some of the victims aboard Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 on Sunday have been published by local media, conveying messages of affection and care before one of South Korea's worst aviation tragedies. Local News1 reported a mobile messenger conversation that a 61-year-old man surnamed Kim had with his daughter, who was aboard the ill-fated aircraft with her husband. In a group KakaoTalk chatroom for family, the victim said Saturday, "We'll be getting on the plane in the early hour
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Decoding plane black boxes to take over a month
Decoding the black boxes from the Jeju Air crash in Muan, which claimed 179 lives, is expected to take at least a month, with one box partially damaged, the Transport Ministry reported. If the damage proves severe, the process could extend to six months, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. Joo Jong-wan, director of aviation policy at the Transport Ministry, said during a briefing at the Sejong Government Complex Monday morning that both black boxes from Jeju Air flight 7C 22
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Civic groups halt political protests to mourn victims of Jeju Air crash
Civil society groups in South Korea, which were recently at the forefront of calls to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, have shifted their focus to mourning after Sunday’s Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province claimed 179 lives in the nation’s deadliest aviation disaster. The tragic event has left the nation in shock, prompting widespread calls for solidarity and immediate support for the victims and their families. Investigators believe the crash was caused by a f
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Bird strike concerns at airports raised after deadly plane crash
Accidents related to bird-plane collisions increase in recent years; Muan International Airport suspected of not having sufficient personnel to prevent bird strikes Sunday's deadly plane crash set off a wave of nationwide concern over birds disrupting the safe operations of flights, with a bird strike suspected as the possible cause behind one of the deadliest aviation tragedies in South Korean history. In the aftermath of Jeju Air flight 7C 2216's crash, it was revealed that a government-commis
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Identities of 141 victims from deadly plane crash confirmed, most from Jeolla region
South Korean authorities on Monday confirmed the identities of 141 of the 179 victims who died in a plane crash at Muan International Airport on Sunday. Most were found to be residents of the Jeolla region where the aircraft was scheduled to land. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a morning briefing that 141 people have been identified as of 8:35 a.m., and that the bodies of 165 have been placed in a temporary mortuary inside the airport in South Jeolla Province. Family
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Jeju Air to face rigorous safety inspections over repeated landing gear issues: govt.
The government said Monday it plans to conduct rigorous safety inspections of low-cost carrier Jeju Air Co. following repeated landing gear issues, believed to have caused a company plane crash that claimed 179 lives the previous day. The airline is under an investigation over the crash of flight 7C2216, which veered off the runway while belly-landing and collided with a fence at Muan International Airport in Muan County, about 290 kilometers southwest of Seoul. Earlier in the day, a separate Je
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Surviving flight attendant says he 'woke up rescued,' staff refrain from asking about crash
One of two flight attendants who survived Sunday's fatal plane crash has not stated much about the accident, as he told doctors that he "woke up to find himself rescued" and medical staff have refrained from asking further questions to not invoke greater trauma. Ju Woong, chief of Ewha Womans University Medical Center where the flight attendant surnamed Lee is being treated, told reporters Sunday night that the male survivor of the accident has not spoken about specifics of the accident that occ
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Acting President Choi expresses grief over deadly plane crash
Acting President Choi Sang-mok said Monday that he is "heartbroken" by the tragic plane crash, acknowledging the additional strain it places on a public already grappling with economic challenges. Choi made the remarks while presiding over a disaster control meeting in Seoul, after the Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people belly-landed and exploded at an airport in the country's southwestern county of Muan on Sunday morning. The country's worst aviation accident in years claimed 179 lives, with two
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Jeju Air flight returns after takeoff over similar landing gear issue found in Muan crash
A Jeju Air flight that took off in South Korea on Monday has returned to the airport of departure due to the same landing gear issue that was found in a deadly crash involving a separate aircraft of the same model the previous day, according to industry sources. Jeju Air Flight 7C101, which departed from Gimpo International Airport for Jeju at 6:37 a.m., detected an issue with its landing gear shortly after takeoff. The airline informed the 161 passengers about the mechanical defect caused by th
Dec. 30, 2024 -
Acting president announces weeklong national mourning period over Muan plane crash
Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Sunday declared a weeklong national mourning period following the tragic Muan plane crash that claimed nearly 180 lives, marking South Korea's worst domestic aviation disaster to date. "As of today, the government designates a seven-day national mourning period until midnight on Jan. 4," Choi announced Sunday evening during a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held in Seoul. The meeting marked the third of its kind addressing the fa
Dec. 29, 2024 -
Families of plane crash victims mourn, voice frustrations
GWANGJU -- Families of victims of Sunday's deadly plane crash in Muan mourned the losses of their loved ones while expressing anger and frustration at the authorities' response in the accident's aftermath. Weeping family members could be heard on the first floor of Muan International Airport, 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul, where a Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people had burst into flames during landing at around 9 a.m. "My sister was on that plane," said a 33-year-old woman surnamed Kim. "She
Dec. 29, 2024 -
Bird strike, landing gear malfunction? Determining cause of crash likely to take time
Plane warned of bird strike 5 minutes before crash landing The South Korean government confirmed Sunday that the plane in Sunday's deadly crash received a "bird strike" warning minutes before it struck the fence at the airport, regarding its investigation on what caused the one of the worst air traffic tragedies in the country's history. Jeju Air 7C 2216 received the warning from the control tower of the Muan International Airport at around 8:54 a.m. Minutes later, the pilot sent mayday call, sa
Dec. 29, 2024 -
Korea suffers first deadly airliner crash in 11 years
Since the 2013 crash landing of an Asiana Airlines flight in San Francisco, Korean air carriers remained free of fatal passenger accidents until Sunday The fatal crash at Muan International Airport on Sunday morning, which as of 6:10 p.m. had claimed the lives of at least 176 passengers aboard a Jeju Air flight from Thailand, has once again brought the country's aviation safety record into sharp focus. Prior to the Muan crash, South Korean air carriers had not experienced any fatal passenger acc
Dec. 29, 2024