THIS is the haunting moment South Korea welcomed in the New Year in silence as the country continues to deal with a year from hell.
Since Sunday, the nation has been grieving over the loss of 179 lives in a tragic plane crash. This somber mood comes after a turbulent month of political unrest triggered by a failed attempt at imposing martial law.
The former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, faced severe backlash when he deployed troops to the National Assembly building in Seoul on December 3, leading to violent clashes with protesters. The decision was met with widespread criticism due to its controversial nature.
He was soon impeached as the nation rebelled against his dangerous snap judgement and replaced by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
Han became the acting president but as the turmoil continued to rage on he was also impeached in remarkable fashion days later.
As a result of these events, South Korea finds itself on the brink of turmoil, with lawmakers unable to reach a consensus on the country’s future direction and the best course of action to navigate the current political crisis.
But just days ago, with the country still without a clear leader, the worst aviation disaster for decades to hit South Korea dragged moral to its lowest point in years.
A packed Jeju Air plane crash landed on a runway at Muan International Airport before exploding into a deadly fireball.
In total, 179 out of 181 passengers and crew on board die as it marked the worst air tragedy of 2024.
The country was plunged into darkness following the crash with families torn apart and officials being quizzed over how such a catastrophic accident took place.
Now as the rest of the globe celebrates the New Year with firework displays, concerts and huge joyous events, South Koreans are continuing to mourn the loss of their own.
Haunting footage captured the moment midnight struck in the capital of Seoul as the usual celebrations were replaced with moments of silence.
The usual cheers to usher in the new year were absent as thousands attended the planned events with solemn faces.
The Bosingak bell can be heard ringing into the darkness to mourn the victims who lost their lives in the tragic crash.
Behind the bell was a giant structure, dubbed “Midnight Sun”, which was used to celebrate the lives of those lost in the aviation disaster.
As the bell tolled, the sun rose up to signify the victims passing on and honour the impact they left on the country.
A subdued light show went ahead for just a few seconds a period of mourning expected to continue through to January 4.
Local governments nationwide already announced they had scaled down or completely cancelled New Year’s events due to recent events.
THE DOOMED FLIGHT
The year’s worst aviation disaster took the lives of 179 people after a plane crash landed in South Korea last week before exploding.
The passenger plane erupted into a fireball after smashing into a wall sitting off the edge of the runway.
Five of those killed were children aged under 10.
The youngest was only a three-year-old who had spent the days prior on a family holiday with his parents Kang Ko, 43, and Jin Lee Seon, 37.
So far just over 140 of the 179 people dead have been confirmed with only a handful of bodies being released to families, the BBC reports.
All those on board the flight are thought to have been Korean except for two Thai nationals – marking the fatal crash as one of the darkest days in recent memory for Koreans.
The passenger plane is thought to have hit a bird on its approach to Muan International Airport – crippling the plane’s landing gear.
Video shows it approaching the airport when its right engine was struck.
The collision may have forced the pilot – who is reported to have made a mayday call shortly after the strike – to shut down the damaged engine as he wrestled to control it in the sky.
Several attempts to land were aborted by the pilot before a final decision was made to attempt it.
The aircraft quickly slammed into the tarmac as the pilot tried to land safely.
But the pilot’s heroic landing was all done in vain as it continued to speed off the end of the runway.
Seconds later it smashed into a concrete wall at the end of the 2,800-metre runway, which was only built last year.
The plane instantly exploded after hitting the structure.
The impact is believed to have set off the fireball by rupturing fuel tanks.
Inside South Korea’s martial law chaos
FURY erupted on December 3, when President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered a controversial martial law declaration that sparked mass protests.
The president told South Koreans he needed to free the country from North Korean forces trying to “paralyse the essential functions of the state”.
Analysts later described Yoon’s decision as a “last ditch attempt” by a “lame duck president” to push his agenda through.
His decision led to chaos, as Seoul residents turned up to the parliament and protested – forming a human shield against heavily armed troops as they tried to seize the parliament.
The leader made a dramatic U-turn just six hours after, as members of his own party slammed his decision, but he survived an immediate impeachment vote.
MPs finally voted to oust him on their second attempt as the nation continued to rebel against his dangerous snap judgement.
He was replaced by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo who took over as acting leader but as the turmoil continued to rage on he was also impeached in remarkable fashion days later.
A court in South Korea has now even issued an arrest warrant against suspended president Yoon.
The warrant comes after Yoon refused to appear to questioning three times over the past two weeks.
His legal team called the warrant “illegal and invalid” and said they would challenge it in court.
