(KPL/ Yonhap)  Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday mourned the victims of the tragic Jeju Air plane crash as he visited a memorial altar in the southwestern county of Muan.

"We remember the 179 lives lost in this tragedy and will devote all efforts to building a safer nation," Choi wrote in the visitor's log before paying tribute to the victims.

The Jeju Air plane, carrying 181 people, belly-landed and exploded at an airport in Muan on Sunday morning. The country's worst aviation accident in over two decades claimed 179 lives, with only two survivors rescued.

Before visiting the memorial altar, Choi chaired a disaster control meeting in Seoul, where he instructed the transport ministry to conduct an emergency safety inspection of the country's entire airline operation system.

"To the honorable citizens of our nation, as acting president, my heart aches as we face this unforeseen tragedy amid ongoing economic hardships," Choi said during the meeting.

Choi, who also serves as deputy prime minister for economic affairs and finance minister, stepped into the interim leadership role Friday following the suspension of acting President Han Duck-soo's duties by the National Assembly.

Han was impeached less than two weeks after he took over for President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14, who was impeached for declaring martial law.

During the meeting, Choi reaffirmed the government's commitment to deploying all available resources to support the bereaved families and injured survivors.

He further pledged to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and promptly disclose the findings to the bereaved families and the public with full transparency.

"We will transparently disclose the progress of the investigation into the accident, even before the final results are released, and keep the bereaved families informed," Choi said.

The government has declared a seven-day national mourning period until midnight Saturday. Memorial altars will be established at the crash site and in 17 cities and provinces, including Seoul and the southwestern city of Gwangju.

"We hope the public will visit the joint memorial altars to mourn the victims and offer their condolences to the bereaved families," Choi said.

The acting president is leading the centralized disaster control team instead of the prime minister, who would typically be in charge based on a manual prepared after the 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry, which killed 304 people.

KPL