The changes related to structures housing the localiser antenna would also apply to international airports in the cities of Jeju and Gimhae.
South Korean and US investigators are still probing the cause of the crash, which prompted a national outpouring of mourning with memorials set up across the country.
South Korea plans to improve the structures housing the antenna that guide landings at its airports this year following December's fatal crash of a Jeju Air plane, which skidded off the runway and burst into flames after hitting such a structure.
The Jeju Air passenger plane crash at Muan International Airport, prompted the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to announce the need of improving azimuth facilities at nine facilities at seven airports and issued a pilot advisory for the H-beam structure 305 meters away from the end of Runway 7 at Jeju Airport.
The Transport Ministry, which has been inspecting safety conditions at airlines and airports since the Boeing 737-800 jet crashed at the southwestern Muan airport, announced the move to change the so-called "localizer" structures on Monday.
"Improvement was deemed necessary including the localiser and its foundations for a total of nine facilities across seven airports, including Muan airport," the land ministry said in a statement.
Seven domestic airports, including Muan, were found to have embankments or foundations made of concrete or steel that needed to be changed, the ministry said in a statement.
It added that it would prepare measures to improve the structures by this month and aim to complete the improvements by the end of 2025.
The government has also finished its inspection of six domestic airlines flying Boeing 737-800s, and found violations at some operators including exceeding the period of inspection pre- and post-flight, and non-compliance with procedures to resolve plane defects or passenger boarding.
Attention has focused on several possible causes but questions have been raised about why the concrete barricade, known as a localiser and used to help planes navigate their landings, was at the end of the runway.
The localiser barrier at Muan airport was blamed for exacerbating the crash’s severity.
The ministry said it would finalise plans to adapt the localisers by the end of January, with the aim of “completing upgrades within this year”.
The concrete mounds were identified as 1 at Gwangju Airport, 1 at Yeosu Airport, 1 at Pohang Gyeongju Airport, and 1 at Muan International Airport, and the concrete foundations were found to be 2 at Gimhae International Airport and 2 at the Sacheon Airport. At Jeju Airport, the H-shaped steel structure was pointed out as a problem.
A special safety inspection of the country's major airport facilities will also take place between Jan 13-21, the ministry statement said.
Another aspect that's in focus due to this fatl accident is Runway End Safety Area (RESA); and as per the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines, there should be a Runway End Safety Area (RESA) at the end of the runway to reduce the risk of aircraft rushing off the runway, rather than using a hard concrete wall. This kind of design problem may also exist in other airports around the world.
On December 29, 2024, the South Korean Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed while trying to make a forced landing, killing 179 people. The crash not only shocked the world, but also raised questions about flight safety equipment and emergency response mechanisms in the aviation industry.
What's even more bizarre is that the plane's two black boxes both stopped recording 4 minutes before the crash, casting a thick fog over the accident investigation.
Authorities have raided offices at Muan airport, a regional aviation office in the southwestern county, and Jeju Air’s office in the capital Seoul as the probe continues.
In another disturbing development, a pattern of online hate speech and misinformation has emerged in the wake of the tragic Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport, targeting the victims and their grieving families.
Reported by A man in his 30s was arrested for posting a comment that read “Think about how much the compensation for all those people are, families with multiple deaths must be thrilled.” Other comments included “Why do we have to grieve? They get paid,” and “The pilot of the crash just wanted to play the hero.”
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