This year will go down in history as an annus horribilis for South Korea. December alone has seen a series of crises. The month started with the then-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s invocation of martial law. Just over two weeks and two (acting) presidents later, the month has ended in tragedy. The fatal crash of a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok at Muan International Airport (in the south of the country), killing 179 out of 181 passengers, will go down as one of the deadliest aviation incidents in South Korean history.
The Jeju Air plane crash is a massive shock for a country with such a strong aviation safety record. Before this week, South Korea’s most recent aviation incident involved the vice-president of Korean Air delaying a flight after having been served nuts in their original packaging instead of on crockery.
South Korea has seen aviation disasters in the more distant past. In 1983, the Soviet Union notoriously shot down Korean Airlines Flight 007, killing everyone on board.
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