Acting President Choi Sang-mok was at a memorial center in Muan earlier today as the country reels in the aftermath of its worst air disaster in decades.
Lee Soo-jin reports.
South Korea’s Acting President, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, on Monday afternoon visited the memorial center for the victims of the deadly Jeju Air plane crash in Muan, and paid his respects.
On Sunday morning, flight 2216, was returning from Bangkok, and crashed into a wall at Muan International Airport, killing 179 people.
The visit to the county of Muan-gun the site of Sunday’s deadly plane crash comes after a series of government meetings to coordinate comprehensive recovery measures.
The Acting President, during a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held in Seoul on Monday morning, ordered the Transport Ministry to carry out safety checks on aviation systems as a whole.
“To prevent future accidents, the Transport Ministry will conduct safety inspections of aircraft operations, with the aim of overhauling the aviation safety system to pave the way for a safer South Korea.”
He later met with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik at the National Assembly, where they discussed response measures in a closed-door meeting.
A week-long national mourning period until January 4th was declared on Sunday.
To mark the mourning period, joint memorial altars will be set up both near the site of the crash and across 17 cities and provinces.
Government ministries, local governments, and public institutions will display flags at half-mast, and public officials will wear mourning ribbons.
The Acting President also said on Sunday that the county of Muan-gun will be designated as a special disaster zone, which allows central government funds to be used for recovery costs that would normally be covered by the local government.
The designation provides condolence payments and medical expense coverage.
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office also established an Accident Response Headquarters on Sunday, to investigate the cause of the crash more efficiently and thoroughly.
Jeju Air,.. meanwhile, maintained that the crash was not caused by aircraft defects,.. saying that it always conducted maintenance checks before and after departure and that it did not operate an excessive flight schedule.
The airline has pledged to do everything possible to support the families of the victims, by cooperating with the Transport Ministry investigations and utilizing approximately one billion U.S. dollars in liability aviation insurance.
Lee Soo-jin, Arirang News.
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=279459
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