Victims' lawyers demand disclosure of communication records in Jeju Air crash

Lawyers hold a press conference at the Gwangju Bar Association office in Gwangju’s Dong District, Monday, calling for a full investigation into the Jeju Air disaster on its 100th day. Newsis

The legal support group for the Jeju Air victims, made up of lawyers from Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, held a press conference on Monday to demand a thorough and transparent investigation into the cause of the crash, according to Newsis and other outlets.

The event marked exactly 100 days since a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok crash-landed without its landing gear at Muan International Airport, killing 179 of the 181 people on board, the deadliest passenger plane crash in Korea’s history.

The group said it would file official information disclosure requests regarding air traffic communications and pursue various legal actions, including preservation of evidence and potential criminal complaints at the request of victims’ families.

The Gwangju Bar Association’s Jeju Air disaster legal support group and the Gwangju-South Jeolla branch of Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) held a press conference at the Gwangju Bar Association office, demanding full disclosure of all details surrounding the crash.

“We will continue to fight alongside the bereaved families until the truth is revealed,” the lawyers said in a statement. “We plan to submit a formal request for the disclosure of communication records. We will also apply for a civil evidence preservation process and are prepared to pursue criminal charges if requested by the families.”

“Though 100 days have passed since the disaster, the cause remains shrouded in uncertainty, and victims have received no compensation,” the statement said. “The victims and their families continue to suffer while waiting endlessly for investigation results. Despite an ongoing investigation by the South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency, no one has been formally charged.”

The group urged the release of air traffic control communication records, saying, “Unless they obstruct the discovery of new evidence, these materials should be made public in the interest of transparency. The communication records are critical for uncovering the cause of the crash, and the public’s right to know, along with the families’ pursuit of the truth, make this release essential.”

They also criticized the investigation authorities for the way they partially released 4 minutes and 7 seconds of communication records to some families, calling both the method and content inappropriate.

A training aircraft flies over the localizer structure at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province on Feb. 26, the 60th day since the Jeju Air crash, as officials from the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, police and the National Forensic Service conduct an on-site investigation. Yonhap

Bird strike and black box

“Authorities notified families only one day in advance, which failed to guarantee their right to participate,” the group said. “All victims’ families should be given full and transparent access to the communication data. To resolve suspicions around a possible bird strike, the recordings should cover the 10 minutes leading up to the crash. The release must include properly processed audio.”

They added that requiring families to sign non-disclosure and non-comment agreements effectively blocked them from speaking out.

Among the unanswered questions the group raised were: Why did the pilots attempt a go-around immediately after the suspected bird strike? Why did they sharply turn the aircraft for an emergency belly landing? Why did they fail to re-deploy the landing gear? Why did the black box stop recording before the aircraft, still under power, crashed?

“The most important task now is uncovering the truth,” the group said. “Only then can victims and their families begin to find justice. Without truth, there can be no proper compensation or meaningful measures to prevent future tragedies. Delayed justice is no justice at all.”

Bereaved family members who attended the press conference also called for greater transparency and fairness in the investigation. “The public deserves clarity,” one said. “We need more open discussion about the truth behind this tragedy and more focus on those responsible.”

The crash occurred at 9:03 a.m. on Dec. 29, when a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok attempted to land at Muan International Airport without its landing gear. The aircraft struck a concrete structure at the edge of the runway and exploded.

Despite rescue efforts lasting over 12 hours, 179 of the 181 people onboard, including 175 passengers and six crew members, were found dead. Only two crew members, who were rescued from the rear of the aircraft shortly after the crash, survived.

With a higher casualty count than the 1993 Asiana Airlines crash in Haenam (66 killed, 44 injured), the Jeju Air tragedy stands as the worst aviation disaster in Korean history.

This article is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.