South Korean politicians are claiming that research has shown that all passengers of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 destroyed at Muan airport would have survived had it not collided with a concrete structure supporting the localiser antenna.
The aircraft hit the structure as it attempted an emergency landing at Muan on 29 December 2024, resulting in 179 fatalities.
Korean investigators have yet to release conclusions about the accident.
But People Power party spokesperson Cho Yong-sul says its member Kim Eun-hye has obtained research showing that those on board “would have survived…if the concrete [embankment] had not been in place” – adding that this made the accident “preventable”.
People Power party is the second-largest political party in the Korean national legislature.
Preliminary findings indicated evidence of a bird-strike to both engines, and that the crew executed a missed approach to runway 01 before attempting to land on the opposite-direction runway 19.
The jet touched down without its landing-gear extended and overran, the subsequent collision with the antenna mount destroying the aircraft. Just two of the 181 occupants survived.
Cho argues that the administration of president Lee Jae-myung has attempted to attribute the crash “solely” to the crew, but that the transport ministry has had to admit that the concrete structure did not meet safety standards.
“The fatal cause of this accident was an administrative failure during the airport’s construction, which transformed what should have been a ‘fragile’ facility into a concrete mound,” says Cho.
Had construction been undertaken in accordance with international standards, Cho adds, the accident “would not have occurred”.
“Excuses are no longer acceptable,” Cho says, stating that the accident was “foreseeable” and the “entire process” of design changes should be “thoroughly investigated”.
While Korean authorities have yet to issue an update on the investigation, more than a year after the crash, the country’s president gave a statement saying that the government would “do its utmost” to determine the cause of the accident.
He said the crash “clearly exposed the structural problems and limitations of our society”, and added: “We will create a country where everyone is safe, where those responsible are clearly held accountable, and where even the smallest risks are not neglected or overlooked.”
