Political Circles Pledge "Best Efforts to Uncover Truth" Ahead of State Investigation into 'Passenger Plane Disaster'

Leaders of Ruling and Opposition Parties & Speaker Meet Directly with Bereaved Families... "Request for Swift Passage of Aviation Investigation Act"

The representative of the bereaved families of the passenger plane disaster pleads on their knees at a parliamentary audit (Seoul=Yonhap News) The bereaved families of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster on December 29th appealed to the accident investigation authorities to disclose information related to the investigation and to reveal the truth as soon as possible.

The photo shows Kim Yu-jin, representative of the bereaved families' council, pleading on her knees at a parliamentary audit on the 29th. 2025.10.29

[Provided by reader. Resale and database prohibited] photo@yna.co.kr

The leaders of the ruling and opposition parties promised on the 30th, at the National Assembly, to make efforts to uncover the truth when they met with the bereaved families of the December 29th Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, ahead of the state investigation.

Chung Cher-rai, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said during a meeting with the bereaved families at the party leader's conference room at the National Assembly, "We will do our best to ensure that the state investigation proceeds well so that the lives and safety of our citizens are not endangered."

Chung stated, "The truth has not been clarified to the extent that the bereaved families desire or find convincing, and the process of uncovering the truth seems to be slow." He added, "As the bereaved families have wishes and demands, we plan to proceed with the state investigation through bipartisan agreement."

In response, Kim Yu-jin, representative of the bereaved families' council, requested, "We hope that lawmakers who can actively participate and engage in the state investigation, and individuals who can deeply understand the essence of the incident and take responsibility, will be involved." She also asked, "Please allow the bereaved families to directly participate in the state investigation process, and we hope for transparent disclosure of the progress and information."

Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, also met with the bereaved families at the party leader's office at the National Assembly and said, "The first step to healing the wounds of the bereaved families is to clearly reveal the truth of that day." He continued, "I am well aware that the bereaved families are raising various doubts about the fairness of the ongoing fact-finding investigation. We will contribute to uncovering the cause of the disaster in a way that you can understand, without any concealment or distortion."

He also stated, "We will provide the necessary support and institutional backing for the bereaved families to return to their daily lives. We will thoroughly review aviation safety management and crisis response systems and address any shortcomings." He added, "We will stand with you until the end to ensure that the opinions of the bereaved families are reflected to the greatest extent possible."

Representing the bereaved families, Kim requested, "The state investigation is a great comfort to us and, at present, our biggest expectation and hope." She added, "We have not received any materials for over 10 months, so please help the bereaved families receive the materials, and pass the Aviation Investigation Act in the National Assembly as soon as possible to ensure the independence of the accident investigation committee under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."

Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik also met with the bereaved families at his office that day.

Speaker Woo said, "Every time I meet you, I feel regretful that the National Assembly has not fulfilled its role, and on behalf of the National Assembly, I apologize once again."

He then stated, "We must clarify the facts and take necessary measures, including a state investigation, to fully guarantee the right to know for the bereaved families during the investigation process." He promised, "As the Speaker, I will do my best to inspect the overall national safety system and build a safe Republic of Korea."

Previously, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to conduct a state investigation into the December 29th Jeju Air passenger plane disaster. The request for the state investigation was reported to the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 26th, and a special committee for the state investigation is expected to be formed soon. Yonhap News