Jeju crash families reject report

[Anchor]

Seven months after the tragic accident involving a Jeju Air passenger plane that claimed 179 lives, the results of the engine investigation have been released.

The announcement was scheduled for today (July 19), but was canceled amid fierce opposition from the victims' families.

Reporter Park Ji-sung spoke with the families about their objections.

[Report]

Jeju Air flight 2216, which emitted smoke and flames from one engine and collided with a mound during the landing process.

Traces of bird strikes were found on both recovered engines, and questions were raised about whether the engine supplied power properly to the airframe.

The black box recording from the last four minutes before the accident was also cut off.

The detailed engine investigation results from the Aviation Accident Investigation Committee, which were originally scheduled to be announced today, were seen as a crucial clue to identifying the cause of the disaster.

However, before the media announcement, the bereaved families who heard the committee's explanation expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that they could not accept the conclusion being announced without clear supporting evidence.

[Kim Yoo-jin/Representative of the Jeju Air Passenger Plane Disaster Victims' Association: "We hope that the investigation results will be made public along with clear facts about how the investigation was conducted and what evidence supports the findings"]

The committee canceled the announcement considering the wishes of the bereaved families.

[Kim Byeong-chae/Team Leader of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Spokesperson's Office: "We will not hold a briefing. As you were concerned earlier, we will not hold a briefing on the same content today at another time or place."]

The conflicting views between the investigation committee and the bereaved families over the release of the engine investigation findings, seven months after the tragedy, make it seem unlikely that an interim announcement will occur before the final report is prepared next year.

[Hwang Pil-kyu/Lawyer at the Public Interest Law Foundation Gonggam: "For example, the forensic results regarding the mound have all been released. However, that information is not being made public."]

In April, based on CCTV footage and expert analysis, KBS reported that the right engine of the accident aircraft appeared to be functioning at the time of the crash.

This is KBS News, Park Ji-sung.