The plane crash is the first major test for South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, who had been appointed the interim leader only on Friday, as the country grapples with a political crisis at the highest levels.

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok became on Friday South Korea's second acting president in two weeks, as lawmakers voted to impeach the current acting leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, fuelling political uncertainty in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

South Korea's parliament impeached acting President Han Duck-soo on Friday, less than two weeks after suspending President Yoon Suk Yeol's powers over his short-lived declaration of martial law, plunging the country deeper into political chaos.