Re-search of Muan Airport localizer mound concludes with no additional remains found

A re-search of the localizer mound at Muan International Airport, carried out to recover the remains of victims of the Dec. 29 Jeju Air passenger jet disaster, concluded Thursday.

According to the bereaved families' council for the Dec. 29 Muan Airport Jeju Air disaster, the re-search of the localizer mound and its surrounding area, which began Oct. 15, yielded 62.1 kilograms of aircraft debris and one personal belonging. No objects presumed to be human remains were found.

Authorities had initially considered lifting the concrete mound's debris using H-beams and wire to examine the area underneath, but after no presumed remains emerged during excavation of the surrounding ground, they decided to leave the debris in place to preserve its evidentiary value.

Searchers cleared soil and debris from the sides and beneath the mound, visually inspecting the material and sifting sections through a screen where necessary.

Bereaved family members plan to re-examine seven large bags of aircraft wreckage stored at the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board facility at Gimpo International Airport on Oct. 30.

The bags contain aircraft debris and other wreckage collected from the crash site in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Family members intend to check whether any remains or personal belongings are still inside.

Once the Oct. 30 review is complete, the re-search of the crash site and stored wreckage that has been ongoing since April will in effect be fully concluded.

The government launched the crash-site re-search in April at the families' request after additional remains were discovered in stored aircraft wreckage. The search was expanded to include the localizer mound and its surroundings from Oct. 15, after concerns were raised that unrecovered remains might still be there.

The re-search of the crash site has so far yielded 1,709 objects presumed to be human remains, 906 personal belongings, and an additional 1,688.9 kilograms of aircraft debris.