By Micah Jonah, March 11, 2026
A state audit in South Korea has revealed that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport improperly approved airport safety structures, cut construction costs for over two decades, contributing to the deadly Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport in December 2024, which killed 179 people.
The crash involved a Boeing 737-800 that belly-landed after a bird strike, overran the runway, and struck a concrete support for a localizer antenna. Only two flight attendants survived.
The audit found that:
A 2.4-meter-high concrete embankment for localizer installation was built to reduce costs, ignoring international safety standards requiring frangible structures.
Fourteen non-compliant localizer installations were wrongly approved across eight airports, including Muan, Gimhae, and Jeju.
For up to 22 years, operating permits and inspections erroneously certified that frangibility standards were met.
Broader safety shortcomings were identified, including bird-strike prevention failures, with 30 procedural violations noted.
The Ministry accepted the findings, promised strict follow-up measures, including localizer improvements and stronger bird-strike prevention. Korea Airports Corp (KAC) is implementing recommended safety upgrades.
Muan airport remains closed, and the full investigative report is pending public release.
