Jeju Air crash victims could have all survived without concrete barrier, lawmaker says

SEOUL – A government-commissioned report in South Korea suggests that the Jeju Air 0895 flight crash in December 2024, which killed 179 people, might not have been fatal if a concrete mound at the end of the runway had not been in place, according to an opposition lawmaker.

The Boeing 737-800, traveling from Bangkok, belly-landed and overran the runway at Muan International Airport. Almost everyone on board died after the plane struck a concrete support for a localizer antenna. Only two flight attendants seated at the far rear survived.

Kim Eun-hye, a member of a bipartisan parliamentary special committee on the accident, said in a press release Thursday that a simulation included in the report by the government-led Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board indicated that all passengers could have survived if the concrete structure, which did not meet international safety standards, had not been there.

The simulation, conducted by a South Korean structural engineering institute, found that the aircraft’s initial impact with the runway was not strong enough to cause severe injuries. The plane would have slid approximately 770 meters (2,526 feet) before stopping if the barrier had not existed, Kim’s press release said.

The report also concluded that if the navigation facility had been supported by a breakable structure rather than a concrete mound, the aircraft could have breached the perimeter fence with only minor injuries.

Kim’s office declined to release the full report. Korea Airports Corp., which operates Muan Airport, said it could not comment until the final investigation is completed. South Korea’s investigation board did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Families Demand Accountability

Kim said the crash highlighted years of government negligence, dating back to 1999 when the structure was built. It remained uncorrected despite violating regulations and being flagged as unsafe.

The lawmaker’s statement comes as victims’ families and opposition politicians increase pressure for full accountability, accusing authorities of delaying the report’s release and failing to address whether the infrastructure contributed to the high death toll.

The report focused on the structural hazard but does not yet represent a final official conclusion on the crash. A full investigative report is still pending, after authorities missed a one-year deadline to release a progress report. Muan Airport has been closed since the crash and is not expected to reopen until April.

A representative of the victims’ family association told Reuters that the report provides “solid proof that the disaster was man-made” and said the families are demanding an apology from the investigation board for withholding the information.

Earlier, the investigation board reported that both plane engines were damaged by bird strikes. Pilots shut off the less-damaged engine, according to a July update that was not publicly released due to objections from victims’ families.

South Korea’s parliament has also launched its own investigation into the crash, amid ongoing calls for greater transparency.

-Reporting by Kyu-seok Shim; Editing by Ed Davies and Jamie Freed/Reuters