South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok has ordered the Ministry of Transport to conduct an urgent safety inspection of the country’s operational air transport system, local news agency Yonhap reports. reported Monday.
Choi was speaking at a disaster control meeting in Seoul after the Jeju Air flight he collapsed at the country’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, leading to 179 deaths with only two survivors, making it South Korea’s deadliest air crash.
“The pilot declared May after issuing a bird strike warning,” said Joo Jong-wan, director of the aviation policy department at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
At the meeting, Choi promised to investigate the cause of the accident and share his findings with the victims’ relatives and the public.
Choi promised that the government would make every effort to support the bereaved families and declared a seven-day national mourning period.
At a press briefing on Sunday, Jeju Air’s management support office manager Song Kyung-hoon said the airline would support the victims and their families and that the plane was covered by $1 billion in insurance, reported Yonhap.
Addressing reports that a bird strike was the cause of the crash, Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae neither confirmed nor denied it.
“Currently, the exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined and we have to wait for the official investigation by government agencies,” Kim said in Sunday statement.
Song rejected accusations that mechanical failures or inadequate safety preparations played a role in the accident.
“This accident is not related to any maintenance issues. There can be absolutely no compromise when it comes to aircraft maintenance,” Song said.
Jeju Air flight on Monday allegedly returned to Gimpo International Airport shortly after takeoff as a similar problem was detected with the plane’s landing gear.
The accident comes at a politically tense time for South Korea.
Choi is the second acting president in a month. He assumed the role after becoming acting president Han Duck-soon revoked on Friday, lawmakers over his reluctance to appoint three Constitutional Court judges who are considering the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon was recalled just a few weeks agoafter imposing a six-hour state of emergency at the beginning of the month for the first time since the 1979 military coup.
Shares of Jeju Air fell to an all-time low on Monday, according to FactSet data, and were last down 8.53%. Shares of other Korean airlines were volatile.
