Muan residents quickly rallied to support those affected by the devastating plane tragedy near South Jeolla.

Since the morning of December 29, the day of the tragedy, Shin Jin Nam, president of the Korean Women Farmers Muan County Association, and other Muan residents have been volunteering at the cafeteria of the Korea Airports Corporation Muan Branch inside the airport.

One volunteer said, "We heard they weren’t getting proper meals, so we came here. There aren’t many restaurants near the airport."

Speaking to 'OhmyNews' at Muan International Airport, the site of the Jeju Air passenger plane tragedy, Shin said, "We’ve prepared 3,000 servings of rice cake soup for the families and airport staff."

Even late into the night, volunteers continued to prepare soup, with the sound of vegetables being washed echoing through the kitchen. Shin and others also delivered meals to forensic teams working on-site to identify the victims.

Muan residents Yoo Min Hee and Lee Myung Sook shared their reasons for volunteering: "This happened in our region, so the news about the families felt personal, like it was about our own family. Staying at home just felt unsettling. We couldn’t sit still, so we came here to volunteer. We wanted to help the families in any way we could, even if it was just by cooking. We bought all the ingredients we could find around town."

Shin recounted her reaction to hearing the news: "I was on my way to another region for a meeting when I heard what happened, so I turned my car around immediately. I thought we needed to prepare meals for the families and quickly gathered volunteers to head to Muan International Airport."

She continued, "We went around town and bought all the rice cakes and beef we could find. We heard the families weren’t being provided with proper meals. There aren’t enough restaurants near the airport. I arrived at the airport around 10 AM, and since then, we’ve prepared 3,000 servings of rice cake soup."

According to Shin, more than 50 volunteers came together in the morning to provide meals. By 9 PM, around 20 remained at the cafeteria, still wearing blue vests and serving rice cake soup to grieving families, airport staff, and other volunteers.

Shin added, "The airport staff said lunchboxes won’t be provided to the families until tomorrow afternoon. We’ll keep volunteering until midnight. After that, we’ll leave some cup noodles donated by supporters."

Looking ahead, she shared, "We plan to return early tomorrow morning and start serving meals to the families again from 8 AM."

We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and their families during this tragic time.

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