On the morning of the 29th, a Jeju Air passenger plane accident at Muan airport in South Jeolla resulted in the deaths of 179 passengers and crew members, with no bodies found entirely intact. It is reported that only five bodies are intact enough to be considered whole, though they are in severely damaged condition.
Na Won-o, Deputy Minister of the Jeju Air accident investigation headquarters (Investigation Director of South Jeolla Police Agency), made this statement during a briefing held that afternoon at Muan airport, responding to the bereaved families' request for a precise account of the extent of body damage. Regarding the bodies recovered from the accident site, "a total of 606 pieces," Na said.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the identities of 141 out of 179 victims have been confirmed so far. DNA samples collected to identify the remaining 38 victims have been sent to the National Forensic Service. Na noted, "As the DNA collection from the families was delayed, the helicopter left around 11 a.m. today, sending the collected DNA samples to the forensic service," adding, "The identification should be possible within today, or by the morning of the 31st at the latest."
The bodies being fragmented makes it difficult for families to receive them, and it is expected that funeral procedures will also be delayed. A representative of the bereaved families explained, "They said the identification will be from next Wednesday (Jan. 8 next year)," adding, "We cannot proceed with the funeral procedures before that."
Na stated, "The identification results from the forensic service are expected to come out on the 8th," adding, "We will do our utmost to facilitate the identification as soon as possible so that they can return to their families."
The bereaved families have requested the government to set up the joint memorial altar on the first floor of the airport, instead of the Muan comprehensive sports park, located 5 km away. The Ministry of Land announced that it would accept the request and set up a separate joint memorial altar on the first floor of the airport.
A Ministry of Land official said, "Even if the bodies are not complete, we will assist if the families wish to proceed with the funeral promptly." A representative of the bereaved families stated that for the five relatively intact bodies, "We will handle it if the families of those five wish to move them to a funeral hall at any time."
Jeju Air has decided to fully cover all direct and indirect expenses related to the funeral, lodging, and transportation in consultation with the bereaved families. Lee Jong-seok, Jeju Air's Head of Management Planning Headquarters, said, "If it provides even a little comfort to you, we will take full responsibility and do our best in everything."