Key facts
- Seven transport ministry officials have been referred to prosecutors.
- The officials are accused of covering up the status of a localizer involved in the 2024 Jeju Air crash.
- The crash on December 29, 2024, resulted in 179 fatalities.
- Police allege officials drafted press releases stating the localizer met regulations, despite knowing it did not.
- The investigation found officials omitted regulations requiring breakable materials for structures near runways.
Seven transport ministry officials have been referred to prosecutors for allegedly covering up the unfit status of a localizer that contributed to the high number of casualties in the 2024 Jeju Air plane crash. The deadly crash on December 29, 2024, killed 179 passengers and crew members when the passenger jet made an emergency belly landing at Muan International Airport and struck a concrete mound housing the localizer, a navigation system crucial for aircraft landings.
The police investigation team stated that the seven officials were referred to the prosecution on Tuesday for allegedly drafting press releases that claimed the localizer was installed in compliance with regulations, despite knowing this was not the case. Following the crash, questions arose regarding whether the localizer's placement within the concrete mound contributed to the significant death toll.
The transport ministry had issued two press releases asserting that the localizer met all necessary regulations. However, the police probe found that ministry officials deliberately omitted regulations unfavorable to the ministry, such as the requirement for navigation structures near runways to be constructed with easily breakable materials in case of a collision with an aircraft. The International Civil Aviation Organization mandates that structures within 300 meters of a runway's end that do not meet these safety requirements must be replaced or relocated outside this zone.
The police investigation is proceeding in parallel with an inquiry by the aviation accident investigation board under the prime minister's office. The final findings of the police probe are expected to be announced after the aviation board concludes its investigation.