Empty desks and tears mark five colleagues killed in South Korean plane crash

By Ju-min Park and Dogyun Kim

MUAN COUNTY, South Korea (Reuters) - Empty desks and a calendar marking days off after Christmas sit in a South Korean office where five co-workers once planned a holiday to Thailand which ended in tragedy on Sunday when their return Jeju Air flight crashed.

The five female colleagues, who flew to Bangkok to celebrate promotions, were among the 179 people killed when flight 7C2216 crashed at the Muan International Airport in the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.

Still in shock at the loss of their co-workers and friends, colleagues wearing black ribbons cried at their desks in the public education office on Tuesday, as they watched over a victim's empty desk.

White chrysanthemums had been placed on the desk in mourning, while boxes with books and stationery awaited another victim who was supposed to move desks in the New Year.

"It doesn't feel real," said Lee Dae-keun, an official at Jeollanamdo Office of Education who worked in the same department as one victim.

"She is still lingering in my eyes. Whenever seeing flowers on that empty desk, ah, sadness rushes in."

Reuters is not naming the victims at the request of colleagues who asked for privacy.

The dead employees were an old group of work friends who had been looking forward to their long-awaited trip, said their co-workers.

"As a colleague, she was really hard-working and nice, a kind colleague to others," Lee said with a sigh. "She always told me to stay happy and positive."

Lee said he had gone to the airport with other co-workers to provide food or charge phones for their colleagues' bereaving families who were camping out.

At the office, officials set up an altar where colleagues and neighbours came to pay condolences.

Bowing in tears at the altar, Lee Kwi-sun, a school chef, vividly remembered her last moment of holding hands with another victim.

"Our names are similar. We were like lost siblings that just met now. So we said to meet again, and held each other's hands and laughed and parted ways," she recalled.

"I talked to her a lot personally and professionally, so this just breaks my heart," she said

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Josh Smith and Michael Perry)