South Korea to remove concrete embankment blamed for Jeju plane crash

Investigation into Jeju Air crash reveals deadly runway design flaws, leading to widespread reforms at South Korean airports.

South Korea's Transport Ministry said on Wednesday (January 22, 2025) that it would remove the concrete embankment installed at Muan International Airport following last month's Jeju Air crash, its deadliest domestic air disaster.

While investigators are still probing what caused Jeju Air flight 7C2216 to crash, including reported bird strikes, experts have said the massive berm that supported navigation antennas at the end of the runway likely made the disaster more deadly than it might have been otherwise.

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In some of the first widespread reforms announced since the crash, authorities said they will make new foundations or other adjustments for similar antennas at seven airports including Muan and Jeju International Airport — one of South Korea's busiest — that are either below ground level or easy to break.

The decision came after reviewing the structures housing the antennas that guide landings at the airports across the country known as Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), or a "localiser".

"Muan International Airport plans to completely remove the existing concrete and reinstall the localiser in a fragile structure," the ministry said in a statement.

The December 29 crash killed 179 people, with only two crew members seated near the rear of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft surviving.