Prime Minister Han Sung-sook visited Muan Airport in Muan-gun, South Jeolla Province, where the Dec. 29 Jeju Air passenger plane disaster occurred, on Thursday, apologizing to the bereaved families and bowing her head.

Meeting with the bereaved families at the airport today, Prime Minister Han said, "As a representative of the government, I feel a renewed sense of responsibility."

"I am deeply sorry and heavy-hearted to meet you under such circumstances," she said. "I promised to visit you, and I am truly very sorry that it took a little longer."

She then explained, "Just as the bereaved families wish, we must establish a reliable investigation system so that the accident investigation is conducted independently and fairly, and we must see what kind of investigation results come out accordingly."

She also added, "Both support and remembrance [for the victims and bereaved families] are aspects that must be well taken care of," promising, "I will look after matters of sharing the pain of the family members together."

She promised, "I will carefully oversee the remaining processes so that the desperate hearts and efforts of the [bereaved families] do not go to waste."

A representative of the bereaved families repeatedly emphasized to Prime Minister Han, "What the bereaved families want is truth-finding and punishment of those responsible."

Prior to her conversation with the bereaved families, Prime Minister Han visited a memorial altar to lay flowers and inspected the remains recovery site to check the progress.

When she met a bereaved family member at the personal belongings storage, she held their hand and apologized, saying, "I am so sorry."

An official from the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board reported regarding the completion time of the re-search, "We have not specified a time," adding, "We plan to determine the completion time in consultation with the bereaved families while monitoring the progress of the search."

In response, Prime Minister Han said, "I think it is fortunate that the system has settled down a bit while the people working at the site are struggling," and added, "Regarding the completion time [of the re-search], I think it is desirable to decide in consultation with the bereaved families."

This is the first time Prime Minister Han has visited the site of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster and met with the bereaved families since taking office.

(Photo: Yonhap News)