South Korea's Bishops appeal for better safety measures after air crash

Following a deadly plane crash that claimed nearly 200 lives, the Bishops of South Korea are insisting that better safety measures be implemented as soon as possible.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

On 29 December 2024, a Boeing 737-800 was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea when the Jeju Air plane crashed on arrival.

Everyone aboard the low-cost airline flight was killed except two flight attendants who were pulled from the twisted wreckage.

This marks the worst aviation disaster ever on South Korean soil.

At Pope Francis' Sunday Angelus after the crash, he offered prayers for the victims and their loved ones. "My thoughts turn to the many families in South Korea who are mourning today following the dramatic air accident," he said, reassuring, "I join in prayer for the survivors and for the departed."

Since the catastrophe, there has been uproar as to how such a tragedy could happen.

Bishops' call for safety

The nation's Bishops' likewise have raised their voice to call for better safety measures in a statement signed by the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Bishop Mathias Ri Iong-hoon, reported Asia News.

“Advances in science and technology have enriched our lives," the Bishops note, "but they have also brought with them new forms of danger and threat.”

“While it is not possible to completely prevent all of these hazards," they said, "it is the role of stakeholders and government authorities to eliminate them as best they can.”

Merciful God's embrace

The Bishops go on to say that pending the investigation's outcomes into what caused the accident, and in the face of deep pain and shock, authorities should not make their main priority finding out who is responsible.

Rather, those responsible and government authorities must work "to do their best to improve the safety environment and conditions to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.”

Lastly, the Bishops acknowledged that words of comfort are inadequate for addressing relatives, and therefore, express their hope that "the merciful God will embrace the souls of the victims and touch the pain and wounds of bereaved families."