Muan Airport disaster remains confirmed as 64 victims' remains

Remains found during a re-search at Muan International Airport have been identified as belonging to 64 victims of a past aviation disaster, a development that has reignited anger among the victims' families. The families are demanding accountability for what they describe as the government's negligent search efforts.

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How does the state think of the 179 victims, and how much does it disregard the families, that so many remains are (late) discovered?

The National Forensic Service informed the families on June 8 that out of 233 suspected remains discovered between April 13 and April 16, 195 were confirmed as human remains. The remaining 38 items were either inconclusive for DNA, non-human materials, or stones. This confirmation follows a broader re-search effort where a total of 1,446 suspected items were recovered, with further analysis pending.

Families gathered at a memorial in Gwangju expressed their grief and frustration. Jeong Hyeon-gyeong, who lost her daughter, questioned how the state could treat victims with such disregard, leading to the late discovery of so many remains. She stated, "The responsible parties must be punished."

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The responsible parties must be punished.

Kim Young-hyeon, who lost his wife and two sons, spoke of the unspoken pain among the families. The re-search was temporarily suspended on May 11 due to cadmium detection in the soil behind the aircraft's localizer, raising safety concerns. The search is scheduled to resume on June 15, employing safety equipment and a sifting process to identify potential remains.

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Families are unable to speak to each other for fear of hurting each other's feelings. Does the state truly exist?