More than a year after the Jeju Air aircraft tragedy at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, the country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has, for the first time, acknowledged that a concrete structure alongside the runway failed to meet safety standards and likely played a key role in the exceptionally high death toll. As reported by AeroTime News, this represents a significant reversal of the authorities’ official stance, as they had claimed immediately after the accident that the installation complied with regulations.
A government-commissioned simulation report, disclosed on December 8, 2025, by opposition lawmaker Kim Eun-hye, concludes that all 179 passengers who lost their lives would very likely have survived had the concrete embankment supporting the localizer either not existed or been designed as a breakaway, or frangible, structure. According to the simulation findings, the aircraft would have continued sliding for approximately another 630 meters before coming to a stop, allowing passengers to avoid severe injuries. A similar outcome is predicted in a scenario involving a properly designed, frangible structure.
The accident occurred on December 29, 2024, when a Boeing 737-800 operating a domestic flight from Bangkok made a belly landing following a bird strike and landing gear failure. The aircraft slid along the runway before striking the concrete structure supporting the localizer, a navigational aid used for runway approaches. The impact triggered an explosion and fire that killed 179 of the 181 people on board; only two flight attendants seated in the rear of the fuselage survived. As AeroTime News notes, the crash ranks among the deadliest aviation disasters in South Korea in recent decades.
The ministry has admitted before the National Assembly that the localizer installation at Muan did not comply with airport operations safety regulations. Under rules adopted in 2003 and fully enforceable from 2010, any navigational installation within 240 meters of the end of a runway must be frangible and positioned as low as possible. Although the airport opened in 2007, a key opportunity to correct the deficiency arose during modernization works in 2020. Despite tender documentation calling for a review of frangibility measures, the localizer remained mounted on a massive concrete base, with no recorded objections from the competent authorities.
Families of the victims have rejected claims that the crash was unavoidable, calling it a clear case of human error. They have demanded an official apology, full transparency in the investigation, legislative changes to strengthen the independence of investigative bodies, and a comprehensive parliamentary inquiry. Their demands received strong political backing on December 22, 2025, when the National Assembly almost unanimously approved the creation of a special investigative committee.
Muan Airport has remained closed since the day of the accident, with reopening currently planned no earlier than April 2026. The final investigation report has yet to be published, even though authorities have missed the statutory one-year deadline for releasing preliminary findings—further intensifying public pressure and the demands of the victims’ families on the institutions responsible.
