Relatives of those who died in South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster in 26 years launched a formal complaint against 15 officials, including Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong and Jeju Air President Kim E-bae, alleging negligence in the December 2022 crash that claimed 179 lives, according to AP News.
The move, filed with Jeonnam Provincial Police, intensifies pressure on authorities to accelerate a probe that families claim has stalled four months after the tragedy.
The complaint targets senior figures across transport, aviation, and airport management, accusing them of failures in maintenance, bird-strike prevention, and infrastructure safety. Among those named are officials from Muan International Airport, where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 skidded off the runway after its landing gear malfunctioned, colliding with a concrete localiser structure and erupting into flames.
Only two passengers survived.
Legal representatives argue the complaint legally obliges police to provide regular updates, a step previously undertaken voluntarily.
Investigators confirmed traces of bird strikes in the aircraft’s engines and revealed the plane’s black boxes ceased recording four minutes before impact. Aviation experts criticised the airport’s use of rigid concrete for the localiser array, arguing lightweight materials could have mitigated the collision’s severity.
While no official cause has been declared, the disaster has exposed systemic concerns. Muan Airport, which had no fatal incidents since opening in 2007, now faces scrutiny over its adherence to international safety standards.
Police acknowledged the probe’s complexity but declined to outline a timeline, stating only that it would be “thorough, not swift.”
