The Jeju Air plane crash in Muen, South Korea, which is believed to have killed 179 of the 181 people on board, comes at a time when the Asian country’s government is in the midst of a full-blown political crisis. Current South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on December 14 after declaring a short-lived martial law that plunged the country into its worst political chaos in decades.
However, the leadership crisis in Seoul did not end there. South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duk-soo, who replaced Yoon as acting president, was also stripped of his powers by parliament on Friday.
That meant Choi Sang-mok, the country’s finance minister, took over as acting president while the country’s top constitutional court decided the fate of Yoon and Han. Two days into the new job, Acting President Choi now faces South Korea’s worst domestic civil aviation disaster.
New president in the midst of chaos
Acting President Choi has directed emergency responders to mobilize “all available” equipment and personnel to the plane crash site at Muan International Airport. He also arrived at the site where a Jeju Air flight crashed earlier in the day and described it as a special A disaster was declared. Area.
The President has promised a full investigation into the cause of the fatal accident. “We will focus all resources on the recovery and assistance of victims. All necessary resources are being mobilized and a special disaster area has been declared,” Choi said in a statement.
A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, hitting a barrier and bursting into flames, killing all but two people on board.
Bird strikes and adverse weather conditions were cited by officials as possible causes of the crash, which caused passengers to be thrown out of the plane and the aircraft to be “almost completely destroyed”, according to fire officials.
Video shows the Jeju Air plane from Bangkok landing on its belly at Muan International Airport, skidding off the runway as smoke billowed from the engine, then hitting a wall and bursting into flames . Only two people were rescued, both flight attendants, and 120 people were confirmed dead by noon, the fire department said in a statement.
Uncertain political scenario in South Korea
The impeachment of Prime Minister Han, the acting president since Mr. Yoon was impeached on December 14 for declaring martial law on December 3, has pushed South Korea’s once vibrant democratic success story into uncharted territory. South Korea is the fourth largest economy in Asia after China, Japan and India.
Yoon, who is currently under suspension while the country’s top court decides his fate, faces impeachment and criminal charges of rebellion, which could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
If his impeachment is upheld by the court, which is required to deliver its ruling within six months of the impeachment, a by-election must be held within 60 days of the court’s decision. The move would also make Mr. Yoon the shortest-serving president in South Korea’s democratic history.
