Accident Witness "Sound Was Strange, Filmed Immediately, Conspiracy Theories Are Nonsense"

Citizen Who Filmed Jeju Air Accident Faces 'Conspiracy Theory'
"Filmed After Sensing Something Strange... Conspiracy Theory Is Nonsense"

On the 29th, a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers collided with the outer wall of the runway while landing at Muan International Airport, causing a fire that resulted in a major disaster with most passengers dead. Firefighters are searching for missing persons among the wreckage of the accident aircraft on the runway at Muan International Airport, Jeonnam.

On the 29th, a major disaster occurred at Jeju Air passenger plane crashed at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do, killing 179 people. Amid this, some raised conspiracy theories about a witness who directly filmed the accident scene, saying the footage was "too accurately captured." In response, the witness explained, "It's too much," and said, "I felt something was wrong with the plane, so I started filming immediately."

Lee Geun-young (49), who runs a store near the airport, revealed the circumstances of filming in an interview with Seoul Shinmun on the day. He said, "I was inside the restaurant, but before the plane landed, I heard loud banging noises outside, so I looked out and saw the plane landing," adding, "Normally, the plane should have landed in the opposite direction." According to Lee, the accident plane initially approached runway 01 at Muan Airport for landing but gave up after receiving advice from the control tower to "be cautious of bird movement." It then performed a go-around and landed on the opposite runway 19.

Lee recalled, "The runway at Muan International Airport and my store are only about 300 to 400 meters apart. The plane didn’t head toward the runway but passed over my store," and added, "When I looked back, the plane was turning. Even small aircraft make wide turns, but this plane made a very tight turn." Having regularly watched planes take off and land from his store, he said, "This time, I felt something was wrong and dangerous, so I immediately went up to the rooftop to film."

On the 29th, a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers collided with the outer wall of the runway while landing at Muan International Airport, causing a fire that resulted in a major disaster with most passengers dead. Firefighters are searching for missing persons among the wreckage of the accident aircraft on the runway at Muan International Airport, Jeollanam-do.

Some conspiracy theories arose claiming Lee’s footage was "too accurately captured" of the accident scene. Lee responded, "Those people are really too much," emphasizing again, "You can see the airport (runway) clearly even from the nearby public parking lot. Moreover, I felt something was wrong, so I went up to the rooftop to film." He explained that because the airport runway and his store are close, he often watches planes take off and land, which helped him quickly sense the abnormality of the accident plane.

On the morning of the 29th, Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 attempted a belly landing on the runway at Muan Airport with the landing gear (plane wheels) not deployed. During the attempt, the aircraft collided with the outer wall. The plane was subsequently broken apart and caught fire, with most of the fuselage engulfed in flames. There were 181 people on board, including 175 passengers and 6 crew members. According to the Fire Agency’s tally, 179 people died and 2 were rescued. On the same day, Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, announced, "From today until midnight on the 4th of next month, a seven-day national mourning period will be observed."