One year after Jeju crash, South Korea's Lee promises answers

A year after the Jeju Air crash that killed 179, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung apologizes to victims’ families and vows to uncover the full truth behind the disaster.

Reuters

29 December 2025 at 06:28:52

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrives at the presidential office in the Blue House, or "Cheong Wa Dae" in Korean, in Seoul, South Korea, 29 December 2025.

JEON HEON-KYUN/Reuters

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday (December 29) apologised to the families of the 179 people who died in a Jeju Air crash a year ago, vowing to reveal the truth behind the worst aircraft accident on the country's soil.

"As president who has the responsibility to protect the lives and safety of the people, I offer my deepest apologies," Lee said in a video message.

Relatives of the victims have demanded answers about the accident, after investigators delayed releasing a report on what went wrong on December 29, 2024, when the Jeju Air jet crash-landed and slammed into an embankment at the end of the runway.

The government-led Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board said in a preliminary report in January that both the plane's engines sustained bird strikes. But questions remain about safety lapses, the design of the runway at Muan International Airport where the crash occurred, and what actions the pilots took in the last few minutes of the flight.

Production: Minwoo Park/Reuters