Following the Jeju Air tragedy that claimed 179 lives, South Korean officials said on Monday that they would replace the concrete navigation barriers at airports across the nation.
On December 29, a Boeing 737-800 carrying 181 passengers and staff members belly-landed at Muan airport and slammed into a concrete barrier, exploding in a flame. The flight was from Thailand to Muan, South Korea.
It was the worst-ever aviation disaster on South Korean soil.
“Improvement was deemed necessary including the localiser and its foundations for a total of nine facilities across seven airports, including Muan airport,” the land ministry said in a statement.
International airports in the cities of Gimhae and Jeju would also be affected.
The cause of the tragedy, which sparked a nationwide outpouring of grief with memorials erected around the nation, is still being investigated by South Korean and US officials.
Although a number of potential reasons have been discussed, it has been questioned why the concrete barricade—known as a localizer and used to guide planes during landings—was located at the end of the runway.
The severity of the crash was attributed to the barrier at Muan airport.
The ministry said it would finalise plans to adapt the localisers by the end of January, with the aim of “completing upgrades within this year”.
The transport ministry’s announcement on Saturday that the black boxes with the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the downed jet had stopped recording four minutes before to the catastrophe further complicated the investigation.
As the investigation progresses, authorities have raided Jeju Air’s office in the capital Seoul, a regional aviation office in the southern county, and offices at Muan airport.
The land ministry further stated that the closure of Muan Airport has been prolonged till January 19.
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