South Korean airport embankment in focus after deadly Jeju Air crash

January 1, 2025 , 01:12 PM

(January 1, 2025, REUTERS) – Air safety experts on Tuesday questioned the placement of an airport embankment into which a South Korean passenger jet slammed after skidding past the end of the runway, resulting in the country’s deadliest domestic air disaster.

All 175 passengers and four of the six crew were killed on Sunday when the Jeju Air 089590.KS plane belly-landed at Muan International Airport, ploughed into the sand-and-concrete embankment and burst into a fireball.

What caused the pilot to attempt the landing after declaring an emergency was still under investigation.

But comments in the airport’s operating manual, uploaded early in 2024, said the embankment was too close to the end of the runway and recommended that the location of the equipment be reviewed during a planned expansion.

A transport ministry official said on Tuesday authorities would need to check the document before replying to questions.

Experts criticized the positioning of the embankment, which held navigation equipment.

“Unfortunately, that thing was the reason that everybody got killed, because they literally hit a concrete structure,” Captain Ross Aimer, the chief executive of Aero Consulting Experts, told Reuters. “It shouldn’t have been there.”

Meanwhile, police worked to identify victims while impatience rose among families gathered at the airport as they waited for the bodies of their loved ones to be released.

The National Police Agency said it was making all-out efforts to speed up identification of the five bodies still unknown, allocating more personnel and rapid DNA analyzers.

The Boeing BA.N 737-800’s “black box” flight data recorder recovered from the crash site was missing a key connector and authorities were reviewing how to extract its data, but retrieval of data from the cockpit voice recorder has begun, the transport ministry said.

Inspections of all 101 B737-800s operated by South Korean airlines are set to wrap up by Jan. 3, though the airport will stay closed until Jan. 7, it added in a statement.

Personnel from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration, and aircraft maker Boeing have joined the investigations.

On Monday, Acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airline operation.

LANDING ATTEMPTED AT MUAN JUST AFTER EMERGENCY DECLARED

Investigators are considering possible reasons such as bird strikes and disabled control systems on the aircraft for the pilots’ apparent rush to attempt a landing soon after declaring an emergency.

Transport Ministry officials said most South Korean airports were built based on International Civil Aviation Organization rules that recommend a 240-meter (262-yard) runway-end safety area.

However, a domestic law allows adjustments in a range that does not “significantly affect” the facility’s performance.

“We’ll look into whether there are any conflicts in our own regulations, and conduct an additional review of our airport safety standards,” Kim Hong-rak, director general for airport and air navigation facilities policy, told a briefing.

Muan International Airport’s Operations Manual said the navigation equipment, or localizers, had been installed too near the end of the runway, or just 199 m (218 yards) from the crash site.

The document, prepared by Korea Airports Corp and uploaded on its website, said the airport authority should “review securing additional distance during phase two of Muan International Airport’s expansion”.

South Korean officials have previously said the structure was about 250 m (273 yards) from the end of the runway itself, though a paved apron extends past that.

The runway design did not meet industry best practices, however, said John Cox, chief executive of Safety Operating Systems and a former 737 pilot, adding that they preclude any hard structure like a berm within at least 300 m (330 yards) of the end of the runway.

Video showed the plane appearing to slow down and in control when it went off the runway, Cox said.

“When it hits that berm is when it turns into tragedy.”

Both floors of Muan airport’s main building were still packed with bereaved relatives on Tuesday evening as many waited for the opening of an altar to pay their respects. Others rested in hundreds of tents erected in the airport. Religious, social welfare and volunteer groups were busy supplying food and drink.

Relatives, some sobbing loudly, took turns to bow in front of the makeshift altar, lined with chrysanthemums and pictures of the dead.

With the nation grieving, New Year’s Eve celebrations were cancelled across South Korea.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin in Sejong, Jihoon Lee, Joyce Lee, Hyunjoo Jin, Hyunsu Yim and Cynthia Kim in Seoul, Eduardo Baptista in Muan, Dan Catchpole in Seattle and David Shepardson in Washington; Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Michael Perry, Clarence Fernandez, Angus MacSwan and Kevin Liffey)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.