[Dispatch=Yuha Reporter] "If the state has apologized, then show that apology through policy."

Bereaved families from the December 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air passenger plane disaster called on the state to conduct a thorough investigation into the truth and provide substantial damage recovery.

Twenty-three bereaved family members belonging to the 'Special Law Amendment and National Consolation Fund Promotion Alliance for Comprehensive Negligence' (hereafter 'the Alliance') held a closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Han Sung-sook at Muan Airport on the 13th.

The closed-door meeting lasted approximately one hour. The bereaved families directly shared the lives they had to lead after the disaster and the issues they encountered in the process of investigating the truth.

They appealed, "Do not make bereaved families stay on the cold floor of the airport any longer," and "Although 1 year and 8 months have passed, not a single truth has been revealed."

The Alliance submitted an 'Official Request for Truth Investigation, Damage Recovery, Prevention of Recurrence, and Fulfillment of State Responsibility regarding the December 29 Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster' to Prime Minister Han on this day.

The request contained a total of five demands. These included amendments to the special law regarding the December 29 Jeju Air disaster, payment of state consolation funds, investigation through overseas specialized agencies, and disclosure of FDR (Flight Data Recorder) data.

They also urged the preparation of substantive safety measures ahead of Muan Airport's reopening. They requested that this not be left solely to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's bereaved family support team, but that the Prime Minister directly examine the bereaved families' situations and demands.

Prime Minister Han visited the Muan Airport accident site at around 10:10 a.m. on this day. Prior to the closed-door meeting, he toured the concrete embankment and the remains recovery search site, then received reports on the search progress from related officials.

The time of the bereaved families remains frozen. Na Myeong-rye and Noh Hyun-soo lost their eldest son Noh Sang-hoon and his wife in the accident. The two were preparing for their wedding ceremony in March of last year. The trip they took with the joy of becoming a couple became their final trip.

Kim Yun-mi, co-representative of the Alliance, lost her parents in the disaster. Even while caring for a severely autistic child, she went back and forth between the government, National Assembly, and protest sites to demand an investigation into the truth. She searched for experts to uncover the cause of the accident.

Im Jeong-im said goodbye to her beloved daughter. Her husband Kim Gyeong-hak continued a one-person protest after the accident but passed away without seeing results. Im is bearing the absence of both alone.

Bereaved families currently continue to hold picket protests on the streets demanding the truth about the accident be revealed. Some bereaved family members even went on a hunger strike in front of the Presidential Office. They urged the state to take responsible action.

<Photo source=December 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster Alliance>