Moon Geumju: "December 29 Aircraft Disaster Was a Man-Made Accident Due to Lack of Management"

Lack of Bird Strike Prevention Measures Worsened the Disaster
Formal Management of Obstacle Status Criticized

Assemblywoman Moon Geumju is speaking at the plenary meeting of the "Special Committee for the Investigation of the Jeju Airplane Disaster on December 29 and for the Relief of Victims and Bereaved Families," held on the 6th. Photo by Assemblywoman Moon Geumju's Office

Democratic Party lawmaker Moon Geumju (representing Goheung, Boseong, Jangheung, and Gangjin in South Jeolla Province) strongly criticized at the plenary session of the "Special Committee for Fact-Finding on the December 29 Jeju Aircraft Accident and Relief for Victims and Bereaved Families" held on the 6th, stating, "The Jeju Air passenger plane accident is highly likely to have been a man-made disaster caused by inadequate bird strike prevention measures and a localizer suspected of multiple regulatory violations."

Moon pointed out, "Muan Airport faces a high risk of bird strikes and therefore establishes a risk management plan every year," adding, "However, the airport designated only two people as responsible for bird strike risk management. Furthermore, one had only two years of practical experience, and the other had none, lacking expertise, which likely made it difficult to carry out risk management effectively."

He also criticized, "According to the plan to strengthen safety management for firearms used in bird strike prevention, only 3.5 rounds of bird-repellent ammunition were used per day," and added, "Nevertheless, the reported annual performance of capturing 9,876 birds raises suspicions of inflated figures, and using only 3.5 rounds per day essentially means bird strike prevention activities were barely conducted."

Moon continued his criticism regarding the localizer at Muan Airport, which exacerbated the aircraft accident.

He said, "The 'airport obstacle restriction and status management' stipulated in the Airport Facilities Act and its enforcement regulations was also poorly managed," and added, "Korea Airports Corporation is required to conduct regular status surveys and management of obstacles to ensure the safe operation of aircraft, report to the local aviation authority chief once a year, and conduct precise surveys of obstacles affecting flight safety every five years, reporting the results to the local aviation authority chief."

He further raised suspicions, stating, "Given that the concrete mound at Muan Airport was left unattended for a long time and was even reinforced, it appears that the investigation and removal of obstacles, as specified in the 'Detailed Guidelines for Airport Obstacle Management,' were not properly implemented."

Meanwhile, Moon stated, "Considering all circumstances, it is highly likely that the December 29 accident was a clear man-made disaster caused by inadequate bird strike prevention measures and the lack of proper management of a localizer suspected of multiple regulatory violations."