Category: Korea-General Topics

I don’t think I have ever heard of an airport being raided by the police before, but here we are:

 Police on Thursday raided Muan International Airport, the office of Jeju Air and other locations over the airline’s deadly crash that killed 179 people. 

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, officials said. 

The search warrant was issued on charges of professional negligence resulting in death, officials said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but maybe the police should also raid the offices of the politicians who decided to build a little used airport in the middle of a bird migration wetland as well?

Hopefully other countries learn from what happened in Korea and inspect all their navigation facilities as well to make them safer if a plane overshoots the runway:

The government will inspect navigation facilities that assist in aircraft landings at all domestic airports, following mounting evidence that a concrete structure supporting a localizer — a navigation aid — may have exacerbated the severity of the impact when the ill-fated Jeju Air plane crashed at Muan International Airport, the transport ministry said Wednesday.

The investigation will focus on whether the materials used for the structure and its distance from the runway comply with domestic and international standards.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it is investigating the materials used in navigation aid facilities at all airports nationwide. The localizer, a key navigational aid, helps aircraft align with the runway during landing.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Now that the initial shock of the Jeju Air plane crash has passed, the Korean media is starting to ask the tough questions on why this crashed happened:

The right engine (in red circle) of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 (Boeing 737-800) appears to be open for reverse thrust during an attempted belly landing at Muan International Airport, Sunday. Captured from video provided by a reader

A range of questions has emerged regarding the Jeju Air passenger plane crash that occurred on the morning of Dec. 29 at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province. Key issues include whether the engine’s reverse thrust was engaged during the emergency landing and why the plane did not jettison fuel before the accident.

A former commercial pilot and aviation experts analyzing video footage from the crash said it is likely the engine reverse thrust was activated. However, they noted a weak correlation between the absence of fuel jettisoning and the scale of the crash’s impact.

Was reverse thrust activated?

Of the 181 passengers and crew aboard, 179 lost their lives when the plane slid off the runway during an emergency belly landing, eventually colliding with a concrete structure holding the localizer antenna. The absence of landing gear, which plays a critical braking role, was cited as the primary cause. 

However, questions remain about whether auxiliary speed-reduction mechanisms, such as flaps, spoilers, or reverse thrust, were properly deployed.

A former commercial pilot said, “Crash footage and photos show the engine covers were open, indicating that reverse thrust was engaged. While it cannot be ruled out that the covers opened due to the impact, it seems more plausible that the captain activated reverse thrust during the emergency.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the author also asks why the landing gear was not manually deployed and why the pilot landed in the middle of the runway among other strange circumstances from this crash. With the evidence available now it is looking like a bird strike that led to pilot error may be the cause of this crash. The crash was then made worse by the dirt and concrete antenna structure at the end of the runway:

The remnants and debris of the Jeju Air passenger plane, which exploded after attempting a belly landing and colliding the previous day, remain on the runway at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, Monday. Yonhap

Debate is intensifying over whether the design of a structure at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province exacerbated the impact of the recent Jeju Air passenger plane crash.

Experts argue that the structure, constructed with soil and concrete in a tall and rigid design, amplified the impact and worsened the resulting damage.

The government maintains that the facility complies with both domestic and international regulations. However, revelations that design guidelines from four years ago recommended breakable materials to minimize damage have further fueled the controversy.

The localizer, a safety facility guiding aircraft during landing, has been criticized for being constructed with rigid materials, contrary to international standards.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the Korea Times is also reporting that Muan International Airport also lacked the proper amount of personnel to ward off birds to prevent bird strikes:

A suspected bird strike, identified as one of the causes of the Jeju Air crash last Sunday, has raised concerns about the adequacy of bird control operations at Muan International Airport. At the time of the incident, only one Bird Alert Team (BAT), commonly referred to as “Batman,” was on duty, prompting questions about whether staffing levels and operational protocols were sufficient.

BAT units typically use firearms and other deterrents to drive birds away from airport grounds and communicate directly with the control tower when bird flocks are spotted.

According to sources compiled by the Hankook Ilbo, only one BAT member was working during the suspected bird strike, which likely occurred between 8:57 a.m. and 8:59 a.m. This contradicts earlier statements by the government’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, which said two members were present that day.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the article says that Muan has the highest per capita number of bird strikes of any airport in South Korea. Despite this fact nothing was done to increase the number of personnel needed to prevent bird strikes. So now you add in lax government airfield safety regulations on top of possible pilot error and this Jeju Air crash could end up being a major black eye for the Korean aviation industry.

This is unbelievably tragic. Condolences to all the families impacted by this awful plane crash:

At least 122 people have died and two were rescued after a Jeju Air passenger jet carrying 181 people erupted in flames as it went off the runway and hit a wall at an airport in South Korea’s southwestern county of Muan on Sunday, authorities said. All but the two are presumed to have been killed.

The accident happened at 9:07 a.m., when the Jeju Air flight veered off the runway while landing and collided with a fence wall at Muan International Airport in the Muan county, South Jeolla Province, about 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul. (Yonhap)

You can read more at the link, but acting President Choi Sang-mok was pretty impressive getting himself quickly to the crash site on a Sunday and showing despite the current political uncertainty he is in charge.

Additionally from what I am seeing on social media it is believed a bird strike may have damaged an engine and impacted the landing gear prior to touching down in Muan. Whoever the two survivors were they were extremely lucky to survive this horrible crash.

It is always a big deal when an electric vehicle catches fire, so it is only fair to point out that gasoline powered cars can catch fire as well:

A  BMW  vehicle is caught on fire in Seongnam in Gyeonggi on Dec. 20. [YONHAP]

A gasoline-powered BMW X3, which was idling at a traffic light, caught fire for unknown reasons while driving on Friday at around 9:38 a.m. in Bundang District in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. 
  
The driver of the vehicle managed to escape unharmed, according to a report from Yonhap News Agency.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

President Yoon is so unpopular in South Korea I doubt these boycotts by his supporters will have any impact on sales:

Singer and actor IU promotes New Balance’s apparel in this undated photo. Courtesy of E-Land

Political disputes about President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his botched martial law declaration have had unexpected impacts on brands endorsed by IU and other celebrities, who supported protests against him, as well as on companies related to his allies.

On Friday, IU’s agency announced that the singer prepaid for food and hand warmers for her fans participating in a candlelight protest for Yoon’s impeachment near the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. After the announcement, Yoon’s supporters began to encourage the boycott of companies who hired her as a spokesmodel, sharing the list of brands.

On the list were New Balance, HiteJinro and Woori Bank.

Although her endorsement agreements with water brand Jeju Samdasoo and Domino’s Pizza have already ended, the names of the brands were also on the list shared by pro-Yoon consumers.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

More and more people are immigrating to South Korea:

The number of immigrants in South Korea, which includes foreign nationals residing here as well as naturalized citizens, reached a record high of over 1.56 million in 2024, according to government data released Tuesday. Similarly, the number of employed foreign nationals also hit an all-time high at 1.01 million.

The number of those having resided in South Korea for at least 91 days, aged 15 and above, reached about 1,561,000 as of May, compared to 1.48 million tallied a year earlier, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Specifically, foreign nationals accounted for 1.51 million, with naturalized citizens being 51,000.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.