Song Kyung-hoon, head of management support at Jeju Air, noted that as of 11 a.m. on the 30th, more than 300 employees are on-site at Mu-an International Airport to discuss support for the bereaved families and funeral arrangements regarding the Jeju Air aircraft accident.
During the third briefing held at Mayfield Hotel in Seoul at 11 a.m. that day, Song Kyung-hoon stated, “We will respect the wishes of the bereaved families during the process of storing the bodies after the identification procedure and provide necessary support.” He explained, “Currently, more than 300 Jeju Air employees have been dispatched to Mu-an Airport to support the bereaved families.”
He highlighted that they secured dormitory facilities at the target university for the bereaved families with the help of local authorities, and some bereaved family members have moved to the designated accommodation. The day before, Jeju Air had secured accommodation for the bereaved families in Gwangju, Mokpo, Mu-an, and temporary lodging has also been established at Mu-an Airport.
From that day, procedures for the payment of insurance benefits are also expected to be discussed. Jeju Air has liability insurance for the aircraft involved in the accident amounting to $1 billion (1.476 trillion won) distributed among five insurance companies. Furthermore, these insurance policies have been reinsured with the British insurer “AXA XL.”
Song Kyung-hoon stated, “The British reinsurer arrived in our country late at night” and added, “We will support the bereaved families as needed and negotiate with the insurance companies while showing the utmost respect.”
The Jeju Air flight 7C101 bound for Jeju departed from Gimpo Airport at 6:37 a.m. that day, and shortly after takeoff, issues were detected with the landing gear, prompting the flight to return to Gimpo Airport. Just a day after the disaster, the same model from Jeju Air experienced a similar issue identified as the cause of the accident.
Song, the head of management support, mentioned, “The captain realized there was a problem after takeoff and decided it was better to return and conduct a check,” adding that “the passengers of that flight have taken alternative flights to continue their journey to Jeju.”
He emphasized that aircraft maintenance is being conducted thoroughly. Additionally, it has been reported that Thai bereaved family members are expected to arrive in South Korea today. Jeju Air has stated that it will actively support foreign bereaved families to ensure smooth communication and transport to the scene.