A nation searches for answers to Jeju Air crash as initial shock subsides
Published: 06 Jan. 2025, 17:28
Updated: 06 Jan. 2025, 19:24
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Search operations are under way by police officers near Muan International Airport on Jan. 4, following the crash of a Jeju Air passenger plane that killed all but two of the 181 people onboard. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/06/ee640b11-5542-4923-b5a4-a3f7740c4445.jpg)
Search operations are under way by police officers near Muan International Airport on Jan. 4, following the crash of a Jeju Air passenger plane that killed all but two of the 181 people onboard. [YONHAP]
The Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 crash of Dec. 29 was the deadliest aviation disaster in Korean history, with all but two of the 181 passengers and crew perishing in the tragedy.
Multiple generations were lost as the plane crash-landed and slammed into a concrete localizer at the end of the runway of Muan International Airport in South Jeolla, with flight passengers mostly family tourists returning from a package trip to Bangkok, Thailand.
Search and recovery operations for all the victims were completed on Sunday, and investigations into the cause of the accident have begun. The inquiry is expected to take several months or even years before final results emerge.
How the disaster unfolded
The Jeju Air crash occurred on the morning of Dec. 29 when the Boeing 737-800 aircraft was attempting a normal landing.
At 8:57 a.m., the airport's air traffic controller warned the aircraft of a possible bird strike. Two minutes later, at 8:59 a.m., the pilot issued a Mayday distress call and informed the control tower of a "go-around."
Instead of following the usual course to re-enter Runway 01, the aircraft sharply turned in place and approached Runway 19 using the "teardrop" approach to attempt a second landing.
Local news outlets report that the control tower and the pilot agreed to the second landing on Runway 19, but detailed communication records have yet to be disclosed.
The sequence of events was captured in videos taken by nearby residents.
The aircraft failed to deploy its landing gear or utilize the flaps during the landing. Speculation suggests the aircraft's hydraulic system failed, but this remains a subject of investigation.
In its attempt at a sharp second landing, the aircraft touched down in the middle of the 2.5-kilometer (1.55-mile) runway instead of its starting point. Unable to reduce speed, it slid down the runway on its belly and collided with a concrete embankment housing the localizer at 9:03 a.m., leading to an explosion, killing everyone on the plane except for two crew members in the tail section.
On the day of the accident, the government designated Muan County a special disaster zone and declared a one-week national mourning period.
![[NAM JUNG-HYUN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/06/38cf6f97-ff42-4cd5-8511-f624122ae922.jpg)
[NAM JUNG-HYUN]
What caused the horrific damage?
As recovery efforts, including the transfer of victims' bodies, are mostly complete, the public discourse now revolves around the cause of the disaster, including bird strikes and a poorly placed concrete embankment at the end of the runway.
Four migratory bird habitats surround Muan International Airport, which has the highest bird strike rate among regional airports. However, its bird control team consists of only four members, with just one on duty at the time of the incident.
While the initial cause of the crash was a bird strike, a 2-meter-high concrete embankment topped with a 2-meter localizer has been blamed for worsening the crash’s severity. Questions have been raised about whether the embankment’s installation violated safety regulations.
At the end of Runway 19, a 2-meter-high concrete embankment was topped with the localizer structure. Having landed belly-first, the aircraft failed to slow down and collided with this embankment. Inside the embankment were over 10 concrete columns and a top slab.
Muan International Airport installed the embankments on both ends of the runway when it opened in 2007 and reinforced them with a 30-centimeter concrete slab in 2023.
Authorities, including the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board and a joint South Korea-U.S. investigation team, are currently analyzing the components of the aircraft as well as the secured black box — the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR).
Transcription of the CVR — which records the final two hours of conversations among cockpit crew members, communications between crew and air traffic control, and various warning sounds in the cockpit — was completed on Saturday. The FDR — which records and preserves the aircraft's three-dimensional flight path and the operational status of various components as digital, magnetic, or numerical signals — was sent to the United States for analysis on Monday.
![A police forensic team conducts an on-site investigation at the scene of the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla, on Dec. 31. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/06/ec514b71-55cc-42c7-9466-d39868502fad.jpg)
A police forensic team conducts an on-site investigation at the scene of the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla, on Dec. 31. [YONHAP]
Legal repercussions and measures
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's standards for airport and airfield facilities, the runway end safety area should be extended up to the localizer installation point, and objects within this area must be made of breakable materials with minimal weight and height to minimize risk to aircraft.
Critics say concrete embankments are non-compliant with safety area regulations. However, the ministry argues that "up to the localizer installation point" could be construed as "up to the front of the embankment," requiring further clarification of the rules.
If violations related to the embankment installation are confirmed, those responsible at the airport could face involuntary manslaughter charges.
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae was slapped with a travel ban amid investigations into the crash. Kim is viewed as a key witness in the police's investigation into charges of occupational negligence resulting in death or injury.
![Jeju Air’s management administration division director, Song Kyeong-hoon, during a press conference held in western Seoul on Jan. 2. [CHO YONG-JUN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/06/5b43fe0d-c652-447c-ad44-8deddbd0aeb2.jpg)
Jeju Air’s management administration division director, Song Kyeong-hoon, during a press conference held in western Seoul on Jan. 2. [CHO YONG-JUN]
While investigations into the disaster's cause continue, Jeju Air said it will cut its winter flight schedule by "10 to 15 percent" of its usual winter flights.
Inspections are ongoing for six other airlines operating the same Boeing 737-800 aircraft model — a total of 101 aircraft, 39 from Jeju Air, 19 from Jin Air, 27 from T’way Air, 10 from Eastar Jet, four from Air Incheon and two from Korean Air — as well as for navigation safety facilities installed at 13 airports nationwide, including Incheon, Gimpo and Jeju.
![Volunteers distribute food to other workers and bereaving families at the parking lot of Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Jan. 4. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/06/0e606aa5-73d9-4341-a443-faf2ab42171d.jpg)
Volunteers distribute food to other workers and bereaving families at the parking lot of Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Jan. 4. [NEWS1]
Glimmers of hope and humility
From the disaster's first day, the government and civic groups have worked together to assist with recovery and family support.
A joint memorial altar for the Jeju Air disaster was set up in 105 locations across 17 cities and provinces. By 10 p.m. on Saturday, 285,060 people had visited to pay their respects.
Over 5,000 volunteers visited Muan International Airport within a week of the disaster to offer help, including a 12-year-old student Jeon Si-yoon, who traveled alone by bus from Suwon, Gyeonggi.
"I reserved a bus at 6:50 a.m. after seeing the news," said Jeon. "My parents dropped me off at the terminal and told me to be careful."
The volunteers included chefs from the Netflix cooking competition hit "Culinary Class Wars." Chef Ahn Yoo-sung cooked up to 700 servings of abalone porridge for the bereaved families.
"As a chef based in the Gwangju area, I wanted to help the bereaved families regain some strength, so I prepared nutritious abalone porridge," said Ahn. "Initially, I brought 700 servings, but local restaurant workers pitched in by cooking additional portions, bringing the total to 1,000 servings."
BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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