Heartbreaking images captured a 3-year-old boy who was one of the 179 people killed in Sunday’s Jeju Air crash in South Korea celebrating his first family vacation abroad days before the harrowing tragedy.
The toddler, identified as Ko Yoonwoo, was the youngest person killed in the crash, which saw the plane slam into a concrete barrier before bursting into flames.
His parents Kang Ko, 43, and Jin Lee Seon, 37, also died on the doomed aircraft.
In the post — shared on Instagram by Ko, the little boy can be seen looking out of a plane window ahead of the family’s trip to Thailand.
Other images in the post showed the family of three enjoying their getaway, which was complete with sightseeing and elephant rides.
“The whole family’s first overseas DAY 1,” the caption read when translated to English. “My son is going overseas for the first time in a night flight. First stamp on the first passport lol!! Went to the zoo and walked with the tiger and climbed on the tiger.”
“Excited to see all the animals I wanted to see up close👍😁 Shopping and having a good meal. At Skywalk, the highest observatory in Bangkok “ice floor” walking and showing off without a tip🤣😘.”
“Tired with full day schedule, though I’m happy because of my son who played well✌️,” the caption concluded.
The images were shared on Instagram just hours before the family boarded the aircraft, which flew from Thailand to Muan International Airport on Sunday morning.
Video captured the horrifying moment the twin-engine Boeing 737-800 skidded down the runway with no working landing gear and slammed into a wall in a fiery explosion.
Two crew members survived, but all others aboard are believed to be dead, officials said. The victims — including 85 women, 84 men, and 10 others who were not immediately identifiable — died in the blaze, the South Korean fire agency said.
According to local media, the family had planned to celebrate Christmas with their family at home in South Korea.
Ko reportedly worked in public relations for the Kia Tigers baseball team. The team paid tribute to the family on social media.
“He was so good at his job that everyone on our company’s baseball broadcasting team liked him,” sports broadcaster Jung Woo-young wrote.
“We waited until the end for news of a miraculous return, but with the news of the deaths of everyone except the rescuers, even our last hope disappeared. In the end, he never returned. Not even his family.”
All passengers aboard the Jeju Air aircraft were South Korean nationals, except for two Thai nationals, officials said.
Some 1,570 firefighters, police officers, soldiers and other rescue workers were sent to the scene following the crash.
The plane’s black box has been retrieved and will be examined as part of the investigation. The runway at Muan airport will be closed until Jan. 1, transport ministry officials said.
With Post wires
