Why is identification of victims delayed?

Delayed transfer of remains suggests severity of damage to victims‘ bodies in Jeju Air crash MUAN, South Jeolla Province -- Two days have passed since the Jeju Air crash, but authorities are still struggling to release victims' remains to families due to the extent of the damage. Among 179 victims, only four individuals, whose bodies remained "intact," were handed over to the families after the bereaved confirmed the victims' identities on Monday night. The remaining bodies were severely damaged

Dec. 31, 2024

Muan filled with desperation, grief

Grieving family members form unspoken bond overnight, agree to hold funerals together once identification is completed MUAN, South Jeolla Province -- The night stretched endlessly for hundreds of grieving family members as they waited for authorities to confirm the identities of their loved ones lost in the tragic plane crash. As the names of the victims were announced through microphones one by one, screams of desperation filled the air. At Muan International Airport, where a plane crashed on l

Dec. 30, 2024

Search for cause underway the day after air disaster

Search for remains continues on day after crash; Seoul to inspect all Boeing 737-800 planes MUAN, South Jeolla Province/ SEOUL -- The Transport Ministry said Monday it would carry out all-out safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 model airplanes operated by six South Korean air carriers, in response to the fatal plane crash that killed 179 people at Muan International Airport in Muan-gun, South Jeolla Province, on Sunday. The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 model accounts for nearly 25 percent of

Dec. 30, 2024

179 dead in S. Korea's worst-ever aviation disaster

2 crew members survive; most passengers on year-end trips; record shows plane crashed 5 mins after pilot declared mayday MUAN, South Jeolla Province/ SEOUL -- A tragic plane crash Sunday morning at Muan International Airport claimed 179 lives, in what is South Korea's worst domestic aviation disaster to date. Jeju Air flight 7C 2216, a Boeing 737-800 carrying 181 passengers and crew, was attempting to land when it veered off the runway. Five minutes after the pilot signaled mayday, the plane col

Dec. 29, 2024

Prosecution indicts former defense minister on charges of insurrection, power abuse

President ordered to break into parliament with guns, axes, prosecutors say The prosecution on Friday indicted former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on charges of insurrection and abuse of power, making him the first among those involved in the Dec. 3 martial law declaration to face charges. Prosecutors say they discovered that Kim made attempts to seal off the National Assembly to prevent the lawmakers from passing the motion to revoke the emergency martial law declaration and ordered the marti

Dec. 27, 2024

Yoon to appear in court at right time: lawyer

President’s legal team attends Constitutional Court’s 1st hearing on impeachment trial Lawyers representing President Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday that the president would deliver his thoughts in court "at the right time" as they attended the Constitutional Court's first preparatory hearing for a trial Friday. During the hearing, Yoon's lawyers stated they would challenge the legitimacy of the procedures taken by the National Assembly for the impeachment motion, while questioning the legality of th

Dec. 27, 2024

CIO sends 3rd summons to Yoon

The joint investigation team led by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials announced Thursday that it had sent a third summons to President Yoon Suk Yeol, requesting that he appear for questioning. The CIO official said it sent the summons to Yoon -- to the presidential office and to his residence, both via online and the post service -- asking him to appear at the CIO headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, at 10 a.m. on Sunday. “The third summons was sent a little

Dec. 26, 2024

Yoon ordered curfew's removal from martial law decree: lawyer

Defending President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law declaration early this month, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said Yoon had ordered the deletion of a civilian curfew from the first draft of the martial law decree, claiming that the first draft of the decree was written by Kim himself. The president's intention in declaring martial law was to give a "wake-up call" to the National Assembly, not the Korean people, Kim said via his lawyers on Thursday. “But the president said that the i

Dec. 26, 2024

Tug-of-war drags on over Yoon’s impeachment trial, investigation

President Yoon Suk Yeol's second refusal to appear for questioning by the joint investigative unit Wednesday morning marks another instance of his inaction and defiance regarding ongoing investigations into insurrection allegations and his impeachment trial. The standoff over Yoon's impeachment and the investigation continues to escalate and is now entering its fourth week since his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. The joint investigative unit — comprising the Corruption Investigation Offic

Dec. 25, 2024

Ex-intelligence commander’s note reveals alleged plans to provoke NK: police

A notebook belonging to a former military intelligence commander who was arrested in the martial law investigation contained details about plans to "provoke North Korea into an attack" at the de facto inter-Korean sea border, police said Monday. The Korean National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation told reporters the notes, reading “provoke North Korea into an attack at the Northern Limit Line” and “block the National Assembly” along with memos listing a number of lawmakers, journ

Dec. 23, 2024