As the year draws to a close, South Koreans must have been hoping for a recovery from the political chaos that has engulfed their country in recent weeks.

It would take something extraordinary to eclipse Friday’s impeachment of Han Duck-soo, the second South Korean leader to be removed from office by parliament in two weeks.

On Sunday morning, the country had to grapple with the horrific sight of a passenger plane hurtling across the tarmac before crashing into a wall and bursting into flames, reportedly killing all but two of the 181 people on board.

The two events that will shape 2024 for a country hitherto celebrated for its economic and cultural prowess are of course unrelated, but it is impossible to ignore the political background to Sunday’s tragedy on the runway of Muan International Airport to ignore.

The incident highlighted the potential risks that instability at the highest levels of government poses to disaster relief efforts.

There were encouraging signs in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. South Korea’s rival political parties launched separate initiatives in response to the disaster, apparently putting aside the hostility of recent weeks.

Democratic Party opposition leader Lee Jae-myung traveled to Muan, where he plans to stay indefinitely to support rescue efforts, the Hankyoreh newspaper said, although he will stay away from the crash site as recovery efforts continue.

The ruling People Power party, meanwhile, formed a task force focused on investigating the crash and supporting the victims’ families. The party’s acting chairman Kweon Seong-dong will visit Muan on Monday with members of the task force to “review accident response measures and prevention strategies” and meet grieving families.

Just hours after the crash, acting President Choi Sang-mok arrived at the scene to assist rescue workers and offer words of comfort to more than 100 relatives who were desperate for news about their loved ones. Some surrounded him, demanding updates and imploring him to put families first. Choi could only bow repeatedly while saying “I understand.”

There was also anger over what some saw as a slow response from authorities and the airline. The families had been asking to approach the crash site since Sunday morning, but were denied entry due to the restricted nature of the airport area.

When Lee Jeong-hyeon, head of the Muan Fire Station, told families that most of the passengers were believed to be dead, the room erupted in cries of mourning, according to Yonhap News Agency. “Is there no chance of survival at all?” asked a family member. Lee bowed and replied, “I’m so sorry, but that’s what it looks like.”

Choi’s presence was a reminder that the worst aviation disaster on Korean soil occurred at a time of unprecedented political unrest, just two days after he replaced the accused Han.

The flames that ripped through the fuselage of Jeju Air’s Boeing 737-800 were barely extinguished when concerns were raised about the performance of a man who, as of Friday, has continued in his role as finance minister and deputy prime minister, even as acting president to respond to the disaster.

The political uncertainty also extends to the Interior Ministry – a key coordinating body in responding to situations such as the Muan crash – which is led by a caretaker minister after his predecessor resigned following this month’s martial law debacle.

Choi acknowledged the gravity of the situation in his remarks at the airport. “No words of comfort will be enough for the families who have suffered such a tragedy,” he said, promising that “the government will spare no effort to support the bereaved.”

The joyless game of political revolving doors that catapulted a reluctant Choi into the presidency 48 hours earlier began when Yoon Suk Yeol was suspended from the presidency on December 3 after attempting to impose martial law. His successor Han was impeached by parliament on Friday for refusing to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court – the body that will decide Yoon’s fate.

In addition to dealing with Sunday’s air disaster, Choi has also inherited a spate of other immediate challenges: a currency that has fallen to its lowest level since the 2009 financial crisis and heightened security concerns after several military commanders were arrested for their alleged involvement in the martial law plan.

The response to the Muan disaster has been scrutinized by civic groups, including the families of the 159 people who died in the crowds in Seoul’s Itaewon in 2022 – a tragedy compounded by the government’s inadequate emergency response .

On Sunday, its representatives called for adequate support for the victims’ families, including counseling and translation services for the relatives of the two foreign victims aboard Jeju Air Flight 2216 – both Thai nationals.

“Given the political chaos of the insurgency situation and the impeachment of the president, incumbent President Choi must do his utmost to ensure that the government’s role as a control tower in responding and managing this disaster does not fail,” said the group representing the bereaved families of the Itaewon tragedy advocates said in a statement.

As the families of Jeju Air victims tried to understand what had happened, the Muan tragedy quickly became a test of whether South Korea’s fractured political landscape could find unity and compassion amid the devastation.