Minister Park Sang-woo of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 29th, regarding the aircraft runway excursion accident at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, "I extend my deepest apologies and condolences to the bereaved families and the public."
Minister Park expressed this during an emergency briefing on the "Bangkok to Muan Jeju Air Flight 2216 accident" held at the government complex in Sejong City, stating, "We will deploy all available resources for swift rescue, accident management, and support for the bereaved families, and will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident."
Minister Park emphasized, "The government has immediately activated the Central Disaster and Safety Headquarters for rapid accident recovery and established a Central Accident Management Headquarters to closely coordinate with related departments." Park stressed that they will exert full efforts for rescue operations, victim recovery and funeral preparations, consolation and explanations for the bereaved families, and a thorough investigation into the accident's cause and consequent future measures.
He added, "Regarding measures such as arranging alternatives for other international flights, we have instructed other airlines and airports to take emergency measures to ensure aviation safety."
In the following briefing, Chief of the Aviation Policy Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Joo Jong-wan, explained the progress of the investigation related to the accident. When asked, "Was the accident worsened because the runway was too short?" He replied, "The runway is 2,800 meters," adding, "It's difficult to conclude that the accident occurred due to the runway length."
He noted, "There are various standards related to airport facility maintenance, and all airports operate in accordance with these standards," adding, "We will review whether it was arbitrarily shortened and inform you afterwards."
Regarding the communication records between the control tower and the aircraft captain, he stated, "We have not yet confirmed it," and added, "We plan to ascertain it during the accident investigation process." He also said, "We will determine if there was anything unusual and inform you further."
Concerning the possibility of engine malfunction, he noted, "We need to compare if there was any specific malfunction different from other aircraft," and added, "There were no specially reported issues." Regarding the weather conditions, he stated, "We will re-examine if there were any weather conditions dangerous enough to threaten aircraft safety."