Foreign Media Urgently Report Muan Jeju Air Disaster... "Worst Since 1997 Guam Incident"

Major foreign media outlets, including those in the United States, reported the Jeju Air passenger plane accident at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do on the 29th as breaking news.

Firefighters are clearing debris at the runway accident site of Muan International Airport in Jeonnam on the 29th, where a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers collided with the outer wall of the runway during landing, causing a fire and resulting in a major disaster with most passengers dead. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Reuters, citing data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, described the accident as the worst incident experienced by a Korean airline since the Korean Air crash in Guam in 1997, which resulted in over 200 deaths.

AP News quickly reported the damage and recovery situation starting with a breaking news alert around 9:50 a.m. stating, "A fire broke out on a plane after landing gear malfunction at a Korean airport," calling it "one of the worst aviation disasters in Korea." The U.S. CNN also placed the Muan International Airport accident as the top news on its online edition, reporting, "Two people were rescued alive from the wreckage, but rescue workers said there is little hope of finding additional survivors on the plane carrying 181 people."

The New York Times (NYT) analyzed, "This plane accident is the first major test for Choi Sang-mok, the acting president (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance), who was appointed as interim leader on Friday (the 27th)." This is because the accident occurred amid political turmoil in Korea, which is experiencing a state of emergency and an impeachment phase. The Washington Post (WP) also introduced the accident as having occurred shortly after President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who served as acting president during Yoon’s suspension, faced a series of impeachment motions, leading to Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok assuming the role of acting president.

Japan’s NHK reported, "A passenger plane failed to land at an airport in southwestern Korea and was engulfed in flames," adding, citing a representative from the Japanese Embassy in Korea, "There is no information that any Japanese nationals were on board the accident flight." The Yomiuri Shimbun, reporting the accident news, mentioned Jeju Air, stating, "Due to diversification of Korea-Japan routes, it also operates flights to regional airports in Japan," and reported, "Last year, it carried more than 3.5 million passengers on Korea-Japan routes."