South Korean transport minister plans to resign after deadly plane crash
The Jeju Air plane was flying back from Bangkok with Korean and Thai passengers. (Reuters: Yonhap)
In short:
South Korea's transport minister says he intends to retire as he feels heavy responsibility for the deadly crash at Muan International Airport.
The transport ministry also said it would swiftly improve the safety of airport landing systems in South Korea.
What's next?
South Korea's government will extend the shutdown of Muan International Airport by a week to January 14.
South Korea's transport minister says he intends to step down to take responsibility for the deadly crash of a Boeing jet operated by Jeju Air on December 29.
Jeju Air flight 7C2216 crash-landed and overshot the regional airport's runway, exploding into flames after hitting an embankment and killing 179 people.
"I feel heavy responsibility for this disaster," Park Sang-woo told a press briefing.
He said he would try to find the right timing to resign after addressing the current situation.
Park Sang-woo says he feels heavy responsibility for the crash. (South Korea Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport/Handout via REUTERS)
The transport ministry also said it would swiftly improve the safety of airport landing systems that experts said contributed to the catastrophic accident.
Air safety experts have said the embankment, designed to prop up the "localiser" antenna used to guide landings in poor visibility, was too close to the end of the runway.
Deputy Transport Minister for Civil Aviation Joo Jong-wan acknowledged that safety measures were not sufficient when building the embankment.
But he added they were done in line with regulations in Korea and overseas.
South Korean police are now investigating how the embankment was constructed.
Last week, police raided Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport as part of their investigation into the crash.
Fire engines extinguished the blaze at Muan International Airport. (AP: Maeng Dae-hwan/Newsis)
Muan airport shutdown extended
South Korea's government said it would extend the shutdown of Muan International Airport by a week to January 14.
The airport had been due to reopen on January 7, following the December 29 crash.
Two of the Korean investigators on Monday left for the United States to recover and analyse a flight data recorder that was damaged during the crash, with the US National Transportation Safety Board.
The flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder are the two black boxes that contain key information about the crash.
Loading...Feathers were found on one of the engines recovered from the crash scene, lead investigator Lee Seung-yeol said.
He added that video footage showed there was a bird strike on one of the engines.
Mr Lee said it would take three days to extract files from the flight data recorder, and another two days to do preliminary analysis.
Investigators on Saturday compiled the complete transcript from the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage of the plane.
They are still discussing whether to disclose it or not.
Reuters