South Korea admits airport safety failure contributed to the 179 Jeju Air deaths
More than a year after the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport (MWX), South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has acknowledged for the first time that a concrete structure at the airport failed to meet safety standards and likely contributed to the high death toll.
A government-commissioned simulation report, disclosed on December 8, 2025 by opposition lawmaker Kim Eun-hye, concluded that all 179 passengers who died would likely have survived had the concrete mound supporting the airport’s localizer been designed to break upon impact, or not existed at all.
The admission marks a significant reversal from the ministry’s initial position immediately after the December 29, 2024 crash, when officials insisted that the installation was legal.
The crash
A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 operating a domestic flight from Bangkok made an emergency belly landing at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province after a bird strike disabled its landing gear. The aircraft slid along the runway before colliding with a concrete structure supporting the localizer, a navigation aid used during runway approaches.
The collision triggered an explosion and fire, killing 179 of the 181 people on board. Only two flight attendants seated at the far rear of the aircraft survived, making it one of South Korea’s deadliest aviation disasters in decades.
Simulation findings
According to the simulation conducted by the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea, the aircraft would have slid approximately 630 meters before stopping without the barrier. Passengers would likely have survived without serious injuries.
A separate simulation assuming a frangible, breakaway structure similarly projected no serious injuries and limited damage to the aircraft.
“The hill that should have been breakable became a deadly barrier,” Kim said in a statement. “We must uncover the full truth behind how this happened.”
Regulatory failure
The ministry told the National Assembly that “the localizer at Muan Airport failed to comply with airport safety operation standards”. According to regulations established in 2003 and enforced in 2010, any navigation facility installed within 240 meters of a runway end must be designed to break upon impact and be installed as low as possible.
The concrete structure stood 199 meters from the runway’s end. Though the airport opened in 2007, before the 2010 enforcement date, a critical opportunity to rectify the issue came during a 2020 upgrade project.
Despite including a requirement to review frangibility measures in the upgrade project’s design tender, the localizer remained on its concrete mound. Meeting records show no objections were raised when Muan Airport opted to keep the structure unchanged.
“This amounts to an acknowledgment that necessary safety improvements were not made during the 2020 upgrade,” Kim said, calling for strict accountability.
Calls for justice
Victims’ families issued a statement calling the crash “a clear case of human error” and rejecting claims that it was unavoidable. They demanded an official apology from investigators; legislative changes to ensure independence of accident probes; full disclosure of investigation materials; and a comprehensive parliamentary inquiry.
The families’ demands gained momentum when the Korean National Assembly approved a cross-party investigation on December 22, 2025, by a vote of 245 to one. The independent special committee comprises 18 members and began work immediately for an initial 40-day period, with the possibility of extension.
The probe will examine the crash’s cause; where responsibility for the disaster lies; whether bird strike risks were underestimated; the design and management of the concrete structure; and whether government agencies attempted to downplay or cover up the incident.
Opposition lawmakers revealed that the simulation report had been completed in August but remained undisclosed until now. The People Power Party called for a full criminal investigation, warning that a special counsel probe should be launched if the current inquiry proves insufficient.
Lawmakers also noted that airport navigation structures such as localizers are not explicitly covered under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and urged legal revisions. They called for investigations to include senior officials involved in the airport’s construction and the 2020 upgrade, noting that none of the 44 individuals currently under investigation include high-ranking Transport Ministry officials.
Muan International Airport has remained closed since the crash and is not scheduled to reopen until April 2026. The full investigative report is still pending after authorities missed a one-year deadline to release a progress update.
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The post South Korea admits airport safety failure contributed to the 179 Jeju Air deaths appeared first on AeroTime.
More than a year after the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport (MWX), South Korea’s Ministry of…
The post South Korea admits airport safety failure contributed to the 179 Jeju Air deaths appeared first on AeroTime.
