Between despair and hope: A December that tested Korea's limits
As tumultuous December and 2024 draw to an end, fractures, quiet solidarity, hard-earned hope endure December in South Korea felt like an endless night: no festive lights, no holiday cheer, only a suffocating string of crises that kept piling on. The final punch to the gut came on Dec. 29, when Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 crashed at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, claiming 179 lives. “It felt like one heavy blow after another,” says 27-year-old social activist Lee Yeon-joo. “The