KUALA LUMPUR — South Korean police have raided Muan International Airport as well as the office of Jeju Air over the airline’s deadly crash that killed 179 people on Dec 29.
The Jeonnam Provincial Police conducted search and seizure operations into the airport in southwest South Korea, the Seoul office of Jeju Air and the Muan office of the Busan Regional Office of Aviation, Yonhap News Agency reported, according to Bernama.
The search warrant was issued on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.
AFP meanwhile reported police saying that the raids were conducted to facilitate swift and rigorous investigations into the cause of the crash, and to determine responsibility.
The raids were carried out this morning.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, has called for further probes into aircraft of the same model as the ill-fated Jeju Air plane, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with specific focus on the landing gear.
Choi today “said immediate action” must be taken if any issues were found with the aircraft model, of which 101 are in operation in six different airlines in the republic.
The Jeju Air passenger craft was due for touchdown after coming in from Bangkok when it reported a birdstrike and signalled an attempt to conduct an emergency landing.
As it landed, the plane’s landing gear failed to deploy, causing it to slide down the runway on its belly before exploding when it crashed into a concrete barrier.
Of the 181 people on board, all but two were killed. The two were flight attendants who were pulled from the burning wreckage.
Yesterday, local officials succeeded in retrieving the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder which will be used in the investigation to determine the cause of the crash. – January 2, 2025