Seoul, 13 March: South Korean police have raided the headquarters of the transport ministry as investigators intensify a probe into the deadly crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216, which killed 179 people and left only two survivors.
Authorities said officers carried out search-and-seizure operations at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in the central city of Sejong on Friday, seeking documents linked to the accident and the government’s response to the disaster.
Police confirmed that warrants had been issued for four ministry officials who were working in air navigation and airport operations divisions at the time of the crash. Investigators are examining whether regulatory failures or negligence contributed to the tragedy.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed at Muan International Airport on 29 December 2024 after overshooting the runway and colliding with a concrete structure near the end of the landing strip. The impact triggered a large fireball, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. The only survivors were two flight attendants seated in the tail section.
Early findings suggest the aircraft had suffered a bird strike before attempting an emergency landing. Investigators believe the pilots managed to land the plane on its belly and slide along the runway, but the aircraft slammed into a raised concrete mound that housed a navigation antenna system known as a localiser.
A separate audit investigation found the structure had been built as a cost-saving measure when the airport was constructed on sloping terrain. Instead of flattening the ground to install the navigation equipment, authorities placed it inside an elevated concrete installation. Aviation safety rules generally require such structures to be designed to collapse or break apart on impact.
Simulations conducted during the inquiry suggested that all passengers and crew might have survived if the aircraft had not struck the rigid concrete mound, which caused the plane to erupt into flames.
The investigation has widened significantly, with police identifying 64 people as suspects, including 45 individuals suspected of causing death or injury through occupational or gross negligence.
Public anger has also intensified after investigators recently found additional human remains and personal belongings among rubble collected from the crash site. Families of the victims had been urging authorities for months to re-examine the debris.
Following the discovery, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered a new inquiry into why the remains were not identified earlier and called for disciplinary action against officials responsible for delays in the recovery process.
Relatives of the victims rejected an apology issued by the transport ministry, with a representative saying the statement came far too late.
“We are appalled by the transport ministry’s late and inadequate apology, which the families say is like killing the victims a second time,” the representative said.
The police investigation is ongoing, and authorities say further findings on the causes of the crash and possible accountability are expected later this year.
