Jeju Air crash: South Korea sets up independent inquiry into disaster that killed 179 amid delays and acrimony | South Korea
South Korean parliament started An independent investigation into the deadliest air disaster on territory amid investigation delays and accusations of a cover-up of last year’s Jeju Air crash.
On December 29, 2024, all but two of the 181 people on board a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 died when it crashed at Muan international airport, 288 km south of Seoul, following reports of a bird strike during landing.
The plane, flying from Bangkok, landed successfully but then crashed into the concrete embankment at the end of the runway and burst into flames.
The 18-member parliamentary committee will spend 40 days investigating the crash, with the possibility of extension if necessary, including whether government agencies tried to downplay or conceal evidence during the official investigation.
The investigation, approved by 245 votes to one on Monday, came after the government canceled hearings scheduled earlier this month amid outrage from victims’ relatives.
Almost a year after the crash, families’ anger has been focused on the Aviation and Rail Accidents Investigation Board (araib), conducted the official investigation.
The board reports directly to the South Korean Ministry of Transport. This ministry is the same government unit responsible for airport security and the concrete structure that some believe made the disaster worse.
The families said this creates “a structural contradiction when the target of the investigation investigates itself” and violates what they call international aviation standards for independence.
]The parliamentary committee will investigate possible bird strike management, aircraft defects and the concrete embankment, as well as government attempts to minimize the findings. The transportation ministry will have the authority to summon officials from Korea Airports Corporation, Jeju Air and other agencies for a hearing and document submission.
Police I’m already researching Multiple current and former transportation ministry officials have been linked to the disaster.
araib postponed public hearings Scheduled for December 4-5 The hearings were supposed to present provisional findings, but the families described the planned hearing as a “self-inquiry” designed to “downplay and cover up the disaster.”
An interim statement must be issued by December 29. international aviation regulations If the final report is not possible.
The investigation has been marked by repeated transparency battles.
In July, families are broken A planned press briefing claimed that investigators had been informed that they blamed pilot error for mistakenly shutting down a running engine following the bird strike.
A planned re-examination of plane wreckage last month canceled after inspectors refused to allow families to photograph the process.
The debate reflects broader tensions and distrust over how South Korea has handled responses to major disasters, including the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush and the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, both of which were marked by families struggling for accountability.
