[Initial Report] Muan Airport Disaster, The Worst Is Delaying Repairs Even After Losing the Cow

One Clear Cause of Damage to Concrete Structures at Muan Airport

Yeosu, Pohang Gyeongju, and Gwangju Airports Also Dangerous
Today, 52 Flights Took Off and Landed on Unstable Runways

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Should Not Say "Keeping Multiple Possibilities Open"
Concrete Structures Must Be Removed and Safety Secured First

The pilot knows best. The captain of Jeju Air Flight 2216, who had to perform a belly landing at Muan Airport, has departed to a place where he can no longer recount the urgent situation of that day. Although the voice recordings left on the black box have been transcribed, it is unknown when they will be released. For now, we can only infer the circumstances of the accident, the captain’s decisions, and feelings through the accounts of other pilots. From this perspective, a video posted on the channel ‘Financial Planning Pilot,’ run by a former Jin Air captain turned YouTuber, attracted much attention.

“It was an almost perfect belly landing with hardly any damage to the aircraft. When the plane touched down on the runway, the pilot must have thought, ‘Thank goodness.’ There was an open space where the plane could have slid and decelerated sufficiently. What the pilot didn’t know was the concrete embankment covered with soil beyond the runway. Even I, who have been to Muan Airport many times, was unaware of it. The aircraft collided with it and exploded.” He offered this analysis based on his flying experience.

While the cause of this disaster, a mix of natural and human factors, cannot be pinned on a single concrete structure, it is clear that it was one of the factors that worsened the damage. This can be seen simply by typing ‘Localizer’ into Google’s search bar and looking at the images. Ordinary localizers at airports, including Incheon Airport and others abroad, are installed flat on the ground level parallel to the runway. Images of localizers installed on concrete structures like at Muan Airport could not be found even after paging through several results.

When adding ‘Yeosu Airport’ before ‘Localizer’ and searching again, photos appeared showing localizers installed similarly to Muan Airport. The Yeosu Airport localizer is placed on a 4-meter-high fortress-like concrete wall with an additional concrete slab inside. The embankment height is twice that of Muan (2m), and the distance from the runway is less than 300 meters. If a similar accident occurs, it could lead to another disaster.

Yonhap News

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport concluded that the localizer installed on the concrete structure at Muan Airport was “legally installed” only after nearly ten days since the disaster. They added a passive reflection, stating, “Regardless of regulatory violations, the review should have been conducted in a way that maximizes safety. This is judged to be insufficient.” When asked the most important question about whether the concrete structures at other airports would be removed, they responded ambiguously, “It is quite difficult to say what approach will be taken at this time,” adding, “We are keeping various possibilities open, such as making the slope gentler or reconstructing.”

“Legally no problem” should not be synonymous with “safe.” It is no different from someone smoking right in front of a gas station saying, “I didn’t smoke inside the gas station, so it’s okay.” Matters involving lives should not be postponed for review.

What the Ministry must do immediately is to swiftly remove the concrete structures at Yeosu, Pohang-Gyeongju (2m), and Gwangju (1.5m) airports. Looking at local community posts on portal sites for Yeosu reveals widespread anxiety. Posts like “I canceled my Jeju trip departing from Yeosu Airport,” “I won’t fly from Yeosu until the structures are removed,” and “The Ministry is dragging its feet, so the Yeosu mayor and lawmakers need to act quickly” are flooding the forums. Even today, 14 flights at Yeosu Airport must take off and land on runways supported by concrete structures. Pohang-Gyeongju Airport has 6 flights, and Gwangju Airport has 32 flights.

Since this disaster, every time you visit the websites of airports nationwide, a popup appears stating, “Korea Airports Corporation will cooperate with the government to do its best in accident recovery and support.” To ensure this is not an empty promise, the concrete structures on runways must be removed and safety secured first. The worst scenario is not just “locking the barn after losing the cow,” but “delaying fixing the barn even after losing the cow.”