Osan City Extends Joint Memorial Altar Operations for Jeju Air Crash Victims

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] Osan City announced on the 4th that it will extend operations of its joint memorial altar through January 10 to honor victims of the Jeju Air aircraft accident and provide a space for bereaved families and citizens to pay respects.

The city had originally planned to operate the joint memorial altar from December 30 of last year through January 4. However, taking into consideration the continued flow of mourners visiting to pay respects, the city decided to extend operations through Friday, January 10.

The joint memorial altar set up in Osan City Hall Plaza received a total of 4,287 visitors from December 30 through January 2. Daily visitor counts were tallied as 354 on the 30th, 1,302 on the 31st, 2,132 on January 1, and 499 on the 2nd.

The joint memorial altar operates daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the city is providing various conveniences to ensure mourners can pay respects in a dignified manner.

Additionally, Osan City has stationed a "Peace of Mind Bus" at the joint memorial altar to provide psychological support services. Mental health professionals are offering tailored psychological counseling, stress measurement, and mental health assessments to citizens, helping those experiencing anxiety and depression recover psychologically.

Mayor Lee Gwon-jae stated, "I want to provide sufficient time for citizens and bereaved families to pay proper respects during the joint memorial altar operations," and added, "I will mobilize all of the city's capabilities to honor the victims and help alleviate the grief of the bereaved families."