Jeju Air Offices Raided, CEO Banned From Leaving South Korea As Investigation Instensifies Into Deadly Plane Crash

South Korean authorities have intensified investigations into the catastrophic crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 that killed 179 passengers and crew last Sunday. The crash, which occurred during an emergency landing at Muan International Airport, has become the deadliest aviation disaster in the country’s history.

Police in South Jeolla Province confirmed Thursday that Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae is among two individuals now banned from leaving the country. “The investigation team imposed a travel ban as part of efforts to determine the cause and responsibility for this accident,” authorities said in a statement.

On Thursday, police raided the offices of Jeju Air in Seoul and the operator of Muan International Airport. They also carried out search-and-seizure operations at the crash site and the regional aviation office. The probe is focused on potential professional negligence, with authorities scrutinizing the role of a concrete barrier at the runway’s end and the airport’s localizer system, which houses an antenna array to guide aircraft.

Video footage captured the plane colliding with the barrier before erupting into flames, leaving only two survivors, flight attendants who were pulled from the burning wreckage.

Officials are examining whether the concrete barrier’s construction violated safety guidelines. “Some experts suggest that if the barrier had not been made of concrete, the crash might have been less deadly,” Yonhap News reported.

Aircraft Model Under Scrutiny

The crash has also triggered inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated in South Korea. Acting President Choi Sang-mok called for immediate action if safety concerns with the aircraft model arise. Currently, 101 such planes are in service across six airlines in the country.

Investigators are analyzing data from the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage, while the damaged flight data recorder has been sent to the United States for detailed examination.

“A thorough investigation of the aircraft’s landing gear, maintenance, and pilot training will be crucial in preventing future tragedies,” Choi said.

Families grieve, ‘I Miss You.’

Muan International Airport has since turned the site of the crash into a somber memorial. Many families cried, leaving flower offerings and traditional rice cake soup, tteokguk. Airport walls held messages from mourners such as “Honey, I miss you way too much,” and “May you now soar like a butterfly.”

A kind gesture was noticed in South Koreans across the nation prepaying for coffee in the airport café so that no one waiting around for news paid for their beverage. Volunteers, even chefs from Culinary Class Wars on Netflix, knocked together meals for grieving families.

Now that the pressure from authorities to trace the causes behind this disaster is on, with preliminary reports identifying it as a bird strike, the investigator’s scope has expanded to investigate runway infrastructure as well as a review of communications between the tower and the pilot.

ALSO READ: Authorities In South Korea Move To Arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol, Sources Say