Jeju Air disaster? Muan Airport Disaster?a workshop over the name of

ⓒYonhap News Agency

Controversy continues over the name of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster at Muan International Airport.

Since the beginning of the disaster, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Airports Corporation have posted banners on their websites that read, "We mourn the victims of the Jeju Air plane accident and offer deep comfort to the bereaved families." Local governments such as Gwangju City and Jeollanam-do Province named the disaster under the same name and posted condolence messages on their websites, and the same applies to the rest of the local governments where victims and their families do not live.

This is a name according to the practice of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) established by the United Nations (UN). ICAO has usually classified passenger accidents by using airlines and flights, and this accident should also be called 'Jeju Air Flight 2216' in principle.

In 2002, a plane crashed in Mt. Dogeok near Gimhae Airport, killing 129 passengers, was also named "A crash of China International Airlines Flight 129. The accident caused the biggest casualties in domestic civil aviation history before the Jeju Air plane disaster, but it was not called the "Kimhae Airport Accident."

However, some YouTubers and Internet users argue that the cause of the disaster should be called the "Muan Airport Disaster" at a time when the cause of the disaster has not been clearly identified.

Experts point out that it is inappropriate to use a name that only places responsibility for accidents at airports when the exact cause is not known.

"The correct answer to the name of the accident is 'Jeju Air Flight 2216'," said Koh Seung-hee, a former Boeing 737 captain and a professor of aviation operations at Silla University. "It is difficult to understand the controversy over whether the name of the airport should be included here."

"I'm cautious because it's an issue under investigation, but there's a lot to be desired from the video of the accident," he said, adding, "It seems that the cause of the accident is complex, but it's hard to point out just one thing and say it's wrong, so I don't think it's a matter of arguing over the name until it's revealed."

Reporter Lee Yu Na from Digital News Team.