Muan carries collective sense of grief, responsibility in wake of aviation disaster that unfolded at local airport once regarded as political triumph

MUAN, South Jeolla Province — Muan-gun, a quiet county in South Jeolla Province with a population of less than 100,000, was upended when its airport became the site of a fatal plane crash that claimed 179 souls on Sunday.
Over the past few days, the once-tranquil neighborhood has been thrust into the national spotlight, thronged by people from across the country who have come to offer their support and assistance.
This sudden influx has been anything but welcome for local residents, given the tragic context of the attention. They said in one voice that they won't be able to get back to their normal lives any time soon, amid the inescapable gravity of the situation apparent all around them.
"The county remains as somber and solemn as ever," said an accommodation business owner in his 80s.
“I heard that not a lot of Muan residents were involved in the accident, but the crash occurred at the airport in my neighborhood," he said, his grief as a local resident palpable in the heavy atmosphere.
Of the 175 passengers on board, 81 victims were from Gwangju, a metropolitan city surrounded by but distinct from South Jeolla Province, while 76 were from South Jeolla Province itself.
Muan International Airport serves as the sole international gateway for South Jeolla Province alongside the domestic terminals of Yeosu Airport and Gwangju Airport.
The international airport, which opened in 2007, was established to address Gwangju Airport's operational limitations and increase air traffic in Korea's southwest, though it was controversial from the start due to regional politics. Critics traced its origins to a 1997 election pledge by the late former President Kim Dae-jung, who was from Mokpo, some 25 kilometers south of Muan. Its later development was linked to Kim's aide Han Hwa-gap, who was a lawmaker at the time and is also from South Jeolla Province.
The airport welcomed around 246,000 travelers last year, a stark contrast to the projected annual count of 9.92 million before its opening. It reported operating losses of 25.3 billion won ($17.2 million) last year.
For Park Mae-yeon, a local convenience store owner in her late 60s, the entire county seems "engulfed in a seemingly unending atmosphere of solemnity."
"The only sound you hear inside this store is me saying hello and goodbye to our customers," said the store owner, sharing that many of her customers seem subdued, staring blankly at the shelves, picking things up, paying for them and leaving.
Each update on the Jeju Air flight breaks her heart, she said, even though she doesn't personally know anyone affected by the tragedy.
Another Muan resident shared that she wants to stay nearby and help the bereaved families, even if she can't do much.
“I don't know them (victims and the bereaved) personally, but I simply wanted to do what I can for these people, who are experiencing a degree of sadness I can't even imagine,” Yoon Youn-jae, a member of the Muan-based Saemaeul Women’s Association, shared.
While explaining that Saemaeul volunteers assist with the county’s festivals and other local events, Yoon said they are approaching tragic accident in the same spirit.
“(Just as) when there's happy news, we should celebrate together, (now) we have to share our sadness. This is the reason why we came here to do what we can do,” the 67-year-old volunteer whispered.
All of the interviewees agreed that the end of this year would lack its usual festive atmosphere, with little focus on making wishes for new beginnings in the upcoming year.
"Life in Muan-gun appears to be slowly returning to normal," a local resident in her 20s said, "but the year-end festivities will undoubtedly be more sorrowful, overshadowed by our shared grief."
