Gyeonggi Province and Suwon City Cancel All Year-End and New Year Events During 'National Mourning Period'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 30th that it is canceling its scheduled New Year's sunrise viewing event to mourn the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster.

The province will also establish and operate joint memorial altars to honor the accident victims.

The province previously planned to hold a sunrise viewing event on January 1st around Seojangdae in Suwon City to mark the Year of the Snake (을사년) in 2025 and the 80th anniversary of liberation, with the aim of moving forward for peace and prosperity. This event has now been canceled.

As of the 30th, the province is setting up joint memorial altars at two locations: near the lobby of Suwon Station and at Uijeongbu Station plaza. The province announced it will receive mourners for five days from December 31st to January 4th. Considering accessibility for residents, the operating hours of the memorial altars will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The province plans to hoist flags at half-mast on the flagpoles at Gwanggyo Government Complex and Uijeongbu North Government Complex until January 4th, the national mourning period.

Additionally, the province will operate the Gyeonggi Province Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters until the situation is resolved to respond to and support the Jeju Air passenger plane accident. The headquarters is composed of seven task forces, including the provincial governor as commander, the first vice provincial governor, the director of safety management, the director of railway and port logistics, and the head of logistics and port management. Key duties include assessing the situation related to the disaster and supporting bereaved families of the deceased.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon said on the 30th at the 381st first regular session of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, "I express my deepest condolences to those who lost their lives in this unexpected aviation accident and to the bereaved families. I cannot hide my despair that such a disaster has occurred amid political turmoil and anxiety." He added, "The Gyeonggi Fire Department immediately dispatched six ambulances, and we will not hesitate to provide support if needed in the future. Gyeonggi Province will stand with the victims until we overcome this disaster and the pain is healed."

Accordingly, the province is currently reviewing measures to provide disaster relief funds to the Jeolla region and living stability support for bereaved families in the Gyeonggi region.

Suwon City has also completely canceled all year-end and New Year's events scheduled to be held at Hwaseong Haenggung Plaza from the evening of December 31st to the morning of January 1st.

Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-joon held an 'emergency executive meeting on the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster' at his office on the morning of the 30th and decided to cancel the year-end and New Year's events scheduled for December 31st through January 1st.

The canceled events include the 2024 Suwon City Arts Center Year-End Concert with Citizens on the 31st (Suwon SK Art atrium) and the New Year's Eve concert (Haenggung Plaza special stage).

Also included are the New Year's Eve bell-ringing at Yeomingak on January 1st, tteokguk distribution (after the bell-ringing), and sunrise viewing event (Seojangdae at Paldalsan), among others.

Suwon City installed a 'Jeju Air Disaster Joint Memorial Altar' in the parking lot of city hall on the evening of December 30th.

The memorial altar will operate until January 4th of next year, the national mourning period. Operating hours are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.