The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport submitted to the National Assembly its position that Muan Airport violated the localizer regulations. The ministry had maintained that the localizer was compliant, but roughly a year after the accident, it reversed its previous stance.
On the 8th, according to materials submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Eun-hye, the ministry stated that "the localizer facility at Muan Airport did not meet the airport safety operation standards." In the same materials, the ministry also said, "Under the regulations in place at the time of the 2020 upgrade project, within 240 meters from the end of the precision approach runway landing area, the facility should have been made frangible."
Kim Eun-hye said, "This not only overturns the basic assessment that the Muan Airport localizer facility complied with the regulations, but also reverses the ministry's specific evaluation that the localizer facility is located outside the runway end safety area," adding, "Because the regulation was in effect at the time of the 2020 Muan Airport localizer facility upgrade project as well, it is assessed as acknowledging responsibility that measures such as improving the facility for safety should have been taken to meet the regulations."
Earlier, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) took the position in the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission's decision on the "improper installation complaint regarding the localizer facility at Muan Airport" related to the Dec. 29 passenger plane disaster, released on Dec. 23, that "this facility (localizer) was installed in accordance with the 'standards for the installation of airport aerodrome facilities and landing and takeoff sites,' and therefore cannot be considered a facility that violated the installation standards."
According to Kim's office, when the bid notice was issued for the design service for the 2020 Muan Airport localizer upgrade and replacement construction, it reportedly included the item "review of measures to ensure frangibility." However, it was not reflected in the actual construction.
Kim said, "In the face of a national tragedy that claimed the lives of 179 people, the government must step forward with a resolve to see things through," adding, "It will be necessary to rigorously determine responsibility for the government's condoning and neglect even though the 2020 localizer facility upgrade fell short of safety regulations."