Families in South Korea want answers a year after Jeju Air crash

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Jeju Air Flight 2216 was coming in to land at Muan International Airport when it struck a flock of birds and was forced to make a belly landing that sent it crashing into a structure at the end of the runway.

PHOTO: AFP

MUAN, South Korea - Grieving mother Lee Hyo-eun returns every weekend to the airport where her daughter and 178 others died in 2024, desperate for the truth about South Korea’s deadliest airline disaster.

Jeju Air Flight 2216 was coming in to land at Muan International Airport from Thailand when it struck a flock of birds and was forced to

make a belly landing that sent it crashing

Only two flight attendants seated in the tail section survived.

Ms Lee vividly remembers that day.

Her daughter Ye-won, a cello instructor, had just celebrated her birthday and was due to return from a short holiday in Bangkok.

Ms Lee was planning a welcome dinner when her sister called to ask if Ye-won had landed.

What happened next, she said, was “unbelievable”.

“She was gone when she was at her brightest, in full bloom at 24,” Ms Lee said.

Official findings have pointed to pilot error in explaining why the Dec 29, 2024 crash happened.

But one year on, Ms Lee and other relatives of the victims say they harbour deep mistrust over how the investigation has