**South Korea Halts Jeju Air Crash Report Amid Family Backlash**

**South Korean officials faced intense criticism from victims' families, leading to the cancellation of a planned report on the tragic Jeju Air crash.**

South Korean authorities unexpectedly retracted an intermediate report regarding the Jeju Air passenger jet crash after intense pushback from the families of the victims. The decision came during a charged news conference where family members expressed dissatisfaction over the findings, feeling they prematurely accused the pilots.

The incident, which occurred on December 29, 2024, resulted in the deaths of 179 out of the 181 individuals on board. A private briefing had taken place earlier, during which officials shared details of the ongoing investigation into the Boeing 737-800's engine performance. However, this was followed by a public announcement that ignited controversy.

Legal representative for the victims' families, Pillkyu Hwang, spoke out against the report after noting it appeared to lay blame on both bird strikes preceding an emergency landing and the pilots’ actions. "The families did not receive sufficient information," Hwang commented at a podium set up at Muan International Airport. He emphasized that implications made in the report could mislead the public and the media regarding the investigation's conclusions.

The relatives were particularly disconcerted by the report's framing, believing it suggested final decisions had been made while the investigation was still ongoing. Many feared that media coverage could wrongly interpret the preliminary findings as definitive conclusions, further complicating an already painful process for grieving families.