[SPOTLIGHT]25/11/02 South Koreans remember Jeju air plane crash victims

[성기화 요셉]

All but two of the 181 people on board ill-fated aircraft died in the tragedy

Buddhist monks pay their respects at a memorial altar for victims of the Jeju Air plane crash, at Muan Sports Park in Muan, South Korea, Dec. 30, 2024. (AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: November 05, 2025 09:46 AM GMT

Updated: November 05, 2025 10:38 AM GMT

About 200 people, including Catholics and Buddhists, joined a memorial program at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province of South Korea to pay tributes to 179 who died in an air crash tragedy last year.

Father Simon Min Se-young, parish priest of Muan parish under Gwangju Archdiocese, offered a memorial Mass in presence of four priests and family members of the victims on All Souls Day, Nov. 2.

Before the mass, Father Min remembered 17 Christian victims by calling out their names and baptismal names one by one.

Father Bonaventure Park Gong-sik from Gwangju Archdiocese, who delivered the sermon, likened the pain of the victims’ families to Virgin Mary enduring pain beneath the crucifix of Jesus.

“I believe that only the Virgin Mary, who watched Jesus being crucified and placed Jesus in her heart after he was buried in the tomb, can most deeply understand the hearts of the bereaved families,” he said. “Today, I would like to return to the Virgin Mary’s heart and join you in sharing your pain.” 

He hoped the authorities would reveal the truth and offer proper explanation for the accident.

Kim Yu-jin, head of the association of Jeju Air plane crash victims’ families, said they have endured pain over the past months.

“The bereaved families have lived the past ten months like hell, burdened by the guilt of not being able to protect them,” she said. “It's even more painful that the government is trying to dismiss this disaster as a simple accident.”

She called on the authorities to reveal the complete truth behind the accident with clarity so “the deaths of victims do not go in vain” and such tragedy never happens.

The association has also demanded an independent investigation body and participation of family members in the investigation process.

On Nov. 1, family members of the victims held a silent march in front of Yongsan Station and the President’s Office in the national capital Seoul, holding pictures of the victims and demanding truth be revealed.

The Jeju Air Flight 2216 crash on Dec. 29, 2024, is considered the deadliest air disaster in South Korea’s history.

The plane en route from Suvarnabhumi international airport in Thai capital Bangkok, crash-landed at Muan international airport in South Korea due to a reported bird strike in one of its engines.

All but two of the 181 people on board were killed as the aircraft made a belly landing - without landing gear - and skidded along the runway into a concrete barrier, the BBCreported on July 21.

Jeju Air chief executive Kim E-bae and 23 others are currently being investigated over the accident, the report stated.

South Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board said in a report that the crash occurred due to the pilot shutting off the wrong engine, the left engine instead of the right engine, which was severely damaged by the bird strike.

Families of the victims and pilot unions dismissed the report, saying the investigators attempted to put the blame on the pilot instead of considering other contributing factors.

They also criticized the report for not mentioning the concrete barrier at the end of the runway, which they argued made the accident extremely devastating.

In January, South Korea's transport ministry announced a plan to remove concrete barriers at seven airports.

This article is a translated and edited version of a report first published by Catholic Times of Korea on Nov. 4.