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 fatal crash, which occurred earlier that day when a Jeju Air flight attempting to land veered off the runway at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province and burst into flames.
During the period of mourning, joint memorial altars will be established at the crash site and in 17 cities and provinces, including South Jeolla, Gwangju, Seoul and Sejong, according to the government. Flags will fly at half-staff across all ministries, local governments and public institutions, while public officials will wear mourning ribbons as a sign of respect.
"As the acting head of a government responsible for the safety and lives of its citizens, I am overcome with indescribable grief and regret," said Choi, who also serves as the country's finance minister and deputy prime minister.
He also declared Muan County a special disaster zone and pledged comprehensive support for those affected. An integrated support center will be set up at the crash site to streamline and coordinate assistance for the bereaved families.
Each family will be assigned a dedicated public official to ensure personalized support, while a forensic team will be stationed at the Muan airport to expedite victim identification.
Around 9 a.m Sunday, the pilots of Jeju Air flight 7C 2216, having been warned of a potential bird strike, signaled mayday and attempted an emergency "belly landing" as they were unable to deploy the plane's landing gear. The aircraft overshot the runway and crashed into the perimeter fence. Its fuselage was completely destroyed in the ensuing fire.
As of 9:03 p.m., 179 of the 181 people onboard were confirmed dead, with only two crew members surviving the crash.
