On the 29th, following the disaster involving a Jeju Air passenger aircraft at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do, the military authorities launched a special inspection of maritime patrol aircraft-Ⅱ P-8A 'Poseidon', which is based on the same model as the incident aircraft.
A Ministry of National Defense official noted during a regular briefing on the 31st, "The day before (30th), I instructed that a special safety inspection be conducted on fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft operated by the military as a preventive measure," adding, "All branches of the army, navy, and air force are currently implementing this measure." It appears that focused inspections are being conducted on the landing gear, which has been identified as one of the causes of the accident.
The Poseidon used by the navy is based on the Boeing B737-800 passenger aircraft involved in the recent accident. As a state-of-the-art maritime patrol aircraft, it performs missions such as anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and maritime reconnaissance and search. The navy received it in July and is currently in the process of operational deployment, expecting to deploy it in actual combat next year.
A navy official stated, "The Poseidon was built based on the Boeing B737-800, but it is a separate aircraft," adding, "A plane suitable for maritime patrol missions was created based on that model." He further noted, "So far, there have been no particular issues (with the landing gear and so on)."
The air force is also conducting inspections on the air early warning and control aircraft 'Peace Eye', which is based on the Boeing B737-700. Peace Eye performs missions to detect and identify enemy aircraft and various missiles and to command and control friendly fighters and ships from the air. The air force operates four Peace Eye aircraft.
Military authorities sent support troops to Muan Airport again on this day. A Ministry of National Defense official said, "The size of the support is similar to that of yesterday (about 160 people). We are assisting with search and reconnaissance missions at the airport."