A devastating plane crash at Muan International Airport claimed 179 lives, including Mi-sook, a compassionate 40-year-old daughter remembered fondly by her father, Mr. Jeon. The Jeju Air flight skidded off the runway, leading to a fiery explosion. Families are left in grief and anger as they await answers. Miraculously, only two crew members survived. The heart-wrenching loss has left Mr. Jeon questioning the circumstances of the crash and mourning the last moments with his daughter.
Tragic Loss in a Devastating Plane Crash
Mr. Jeon, 71, continues to grapple with the shocking loss of his daughter Mi-sook, who tragically perished in an aviation disaster. The reality of her absence feels surreal to him.
Reflecting on the horrifying footage of the incident, he expressed, “The plane appeared to be out of control. The pilots likely had no alternatives. My daughter, so young in her forties, is gone. It’s unfathomable.”
He fondly remembered Mi-sook as a compassionate individual. Just days before the tragedy, on December 21, she visited him, bringing food and a calendar for the upcoming year—those moments now etched in his memory as the last time they shared together.
“She was always more kind-hearted than my son and often invited me out to eat,” Mr. Jeon reminisced, showing the last messages they exchanged on his phone.
Disaster Strikes at Muan International Airport
The catastrophic event at Muan International Airport claimed the lives of 179 individuals when a passenger aircraft, Jeju Air flight 7C2216, made a disastrous belly landing. The flight originated from Bangkok, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, but skidded off the runway without deploying its landing gear, resulting in a fiery explosion.
Miraculously, only two crew members survived the harrowing ordeal and are currently receiving medical care for their injuries.
Grief and Outrage Among Families
The release of victims’ names by authorities incited profound sorrow and anger among the families waiting at the airport. Heartbreaking scenes unfolded as they wept and collapsed on the terminal floor, where they had eagerly awaited their loved ones’ return.
In a somber effort to identify the deceased, crime scene investigators collected saliva samples for DNA testing. Mi-sook was returning home after a Christmas holiday trip with friends in Bangkok, leaving behind a grieving family that includes her husband and teenage daughter.
Questioning the circumstances of the crash, Mr. Jeon lamented, “The water nearby isn’t deep, and there are softer fields compared to this concrete runway. Why couldn’t the pilot land there?”
Firefighters reported that the impact rendered the aircraft “almost completely destroyed.” Yeom Dong-bu, a firefighter at the scene, stated, “The double collision and explosion ejected most passengers from the plane, but two crew members miraculously survived at the tail section.” He added that while he had witnessed many traumatic events during his time in ambulances, nothing compared to the scale of this disaster.
Mi-sook was identified through fingerprint analysis, and her family is now seeking a local funeral home in Gwangju to facilitate the transfer of her remains. “She was just about to come home and didn’t think to call us for a final goodbye. She believed she was safe on her way back,” Mrs. Jeon shared, capturing the heart-wrenching reality of their loss.