On Dec. 29, 2024, at Muan International Airport, as debris at the scene of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster was being reexamined, remains believed to belong to victims have been found one after another.
According to the "Dec. 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air passenger plane disaster bereaved families council" on the 12th, as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, and the South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency's scientific investigation unit conducted an additional inspection of the wreckage, a total of 24 objects presumed to be remains were found just on this day. One item was found inside the fuselage wreckage, and the remaining 23 items came from burlap sacks and ton bags containing items collected at the site.
All nine objects previously recovered at the scene and presumed to be remains have been identified as victims' remains. Only one item—the shinbone of the father of Kim Yu-jin, head of the bereaved families council—was specifically identified by body part. The remaining eight items were confirmed to belong to three men and three women.
Not only remains but also personal effects were found in the hundreds just on this day. Previously, more than 600 personal effects had been recovered.
The bereaved families council argued this is evidence that the initial investigation and recovery process was poor and called for those responsible to be disciplined. In response, President Lee Jae-myung ordered disciplinary action against those responsible.
At a briefing the same day, A Gyu-yeon, senior presidential secretary for public communication, said, "The president expressed deep regret to the bereaved families, who are still in grief, over the belated discovery of remains and the like, and mourned the victims," and added, "He ordered a thorough investigation into why remains were not recovered in the initial phase of the accident and why remains were left unattended for more than a year thereafter, and directed that those responsible for this situation be strictly disciplined."