Mon Dec 30 17:15:56 UTC 2024: ## South Korea Launches Nationwide Aviation Safety Inspection After Deadly Jeju Air Crash

**Seoul, South Korea** – South Korea is reeling from its worst civil aviation disaster after a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed on Sunday, killing 179 people. The nation has entered a seven-day period of official mourning as authorities launch a comprehensive investigation and emergency safety inspections of all domestic airline operations and all Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Newly appointed President Choi Sang-mok announced the sweeping inspections, stating that a complete overhaul of the aviation safety system is crucial. The investigation will involve US investigators and potentially Boeing itself. The cause of the crash remains undetermined, but possibilities under scrutiny include landing gear malfunction, bird strike, weather conditions, or a combination of factors. The plane skidded along the runway, impacting a concrete wall unusually close to the runway’s end before exploding. Authorities are also investigating the height of this wall, which may have exacerbated the impact.

Two flight attendants survived the crash and are hospitalized in Seoul. The recovery and identification of the victims’ remains is proving challenging due to the extent of the damage, causing distress among bereaved families.

The crash has also prompted a surge in flight cancellations and tourism package cancellations. Jeju Air, the budget airline operating the flight, has reported over 68,000 cancelled reservations and its CEO, Kim E-bae, has issued a public apology and accepted full responsibility for the incident, pending the investigation’s findings.

The flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered, but damage to the flight data recorder may delay the determination of the cause, which typically takes months. The investigation is expected to focus not only on the aircraft model but also on Jeju Air’s operational procedures. Questions are being raised about the proximity of the runway-end structure to the runway, a matter which Transport Ministry officials are now investigating.

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