Pudding, a pet dog who lost its family in the Jeju Air plane crash, visits a joint memorial altar at Seoul City Hall, Sunday. Yonhap

Pudding, a dog left alone after losing nine family members in the Jeju Air passenger plane crash, visited a joint memorial altar set up in front of Seoul City Hall, Sunday.

Pudding was the companion dog of A, 80, the eldest victim of the Jeju Air disaster at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, which claimed 179 lives. A was returning from a trip to Bangkok, Thailand, for an 80th birthday celebration with his family, who also cared for Pudding, when the tragedy occurred.

The accident claimed the lives of nine family members across three generations, including A's wife, daughter and 6-year-old granddaughter, leaving Pudding without anyone to care for it. Pudding was rescued and is under the protection of the animal rights group Care.

Pudding, wearing a blue outfit, entered the memorial around 2 p.m., carried by a foster caregiver. The dog gazed quietly at the joint memorial tablet, and when the caregiver approached the altar with a chrysanthemum flower, Pudding looked around but remained calm.

As Kim Young-hwan, the head of Care, read a eulogy, Pudding fixed its eyes on the memorial tablet for the victims. Throughout the visit, Pudding did not bark even once.

Pudding looks at the joint memorial altar at Seoul City Hall, Sunday. Yonhap

A Care official recounted the rescue, saying, "Pudding was sitting quietly in the community center but ran to us joyfully, as if waiting for family. Seeing the dog wandering alone, we deemed it unsafe and decided to rescue it. We'll protect Pudding until a suitable caretaker is found."

A temporary caregiver from Care said, "At home, Pudding often looks at the front door, seeming listless. The dog gets excited just hearing the leash, wanting to go outside."

Care plans to continue fostering Pudding until a new permanent home is found. The organization began accepting official adoption applications on Monday.

Pudding looks around at the joint memorial altar at Seoul City Hall, Sunday. The dog will remain under Care's protection until a new forever home is found. Newsis

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.