Minister Park Sang-woo expressed his intention to take responsibility for the 'Jeju Air Muan tragedy' by resigning. However, considering the ongoing recovery efforts, he noted, 'We are discussing the appropriate methods and timing.'
Regarding the controversy over the 'self-investigation' within the Air and Railway Accident Investigation Commission, a chairperson who is a former Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official expressed their intention to resign, and the Commissioner of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Aviation Policy Division stated that they would be excluded from investigation-related tasks.
On the 7th, Minister Park Sang-woo, during a briefing related to the 'Jeju Air passenger plane accident,' stated, 'As the Minister responsible for aviation safety, I feel a heavy sense of responsibility for this tragedy,' adding, 'As a responsible authority, I intend to act appropriately and am in discussions regarding the appropriate methods and timing.'
A representative from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport elaborated that Minister Park's mention of 'appropriate action' refers to taking responsibility for the related incident and expressing his intention to resign. However, they added, 'Just resigning immediately won't resolve the issue; we will decide on the timing considering the proper recovery of the situation and the current political circumstances.'
Regarding the Air and Railway Accident Investigation Commission, which faced controversies over 'self-investigation' and 'fairness,' Minister Park stated, 'The chairperson of the Accident Investigation Commission expressed their intention to resign today,' and remarked, 'The Commissioner from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Aviation Policy Division has been excluded from the commission's work, including accident investigations.'
The Air and Railway Accident Investigation Commission, tasked with investigating the causes of the recent tragedy, is chaired by former Director Jang Man-hee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Aviation Traffic Bureau, with Commissioner Cho Jong-wan from the Aviation Policy Division serving as the regular member. There have been criticisms raised about whether it is appropriate for officials involved in the allegations of responsibility regarding the 'concrete embankment' to conduct the investigation.
Minister Park stated, 'To secure the fairness, objectivity, and transparency of the investigation, and to ensure the independence of the Accident Investigation Commission, we will push for amendments to related laws and improvements to the system, including restructuring the commission's organization and personnel,' adding, 'The investigation process and results will be transparently disclosed to the bereaved families and the public, and I will ensure that we explain sufficiently through briefings as long as there are no difficulties in the investigation.'
Regarding the investigation process, he explained, 'Since the day after the accident, on Dec. 30, 2024, officials from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, aircraft manufacturers, and engine manufacturers have entered the country to form a joint investigation team with the Air and Railway Accident Investigation Commission, which is currently ongoing.' He added, 'The voice recording device attached to the accident aircraft has had the transcript completed after data extraction, and the damaged flight data recorder was sent to the United States yesterday to proceed with the necessary analysis procedures.'
He continued, 'We will discuss with the Accident Investigation Commission on ways to disclose the transcripts and analysis results within the limits where there are no issues with the investigation,' adding, 'In addition to the joint investigation team's inquiry, a police investigation is also currently underway. The government will continue the investigation fairly, adhering to international norms and domestic laws to establish the causes of the accident clearly.'
Regarding the concrete embankment related to the localizer installation, Minister Park stated, 'We will quickly improve the localizer structures to prioritize safety, regardless of compliance with regulations,' and added, 'Since the international norms set by the International Civil Aviation Organization are extensive and the laws related to airport facilities are complicated, we will review the current laws and systems and improve any deficiencies.'