At 9:07 a.m. on December 29, a plane veering off the runway during landing at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province prompted firefighters to respond and extinguish the flames. The aircraft, Jeju Air flight 7C2216, was arriving from Bangkok, Thailand, with 175 passengers onboard.
(Image provided by a citizen who who witnessed the accident scene and personally captured the footage.)
SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — A tragic plane crash at Muan International Airport on December 29 has brought renewed scrutiny to South Korea’s aviation safety record.
Over the past decade, 67 accidents involving Korean-registered aircraft have claimed 59 lives, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety’s 2023 Disaster Yearbook.
The crash, involving a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok with 181 passengers onboard, occurred during a landing attempt and is feared to have resulted in significant fatalities.
Early estimates suggest the death toll may exceed the total fatalities from Korean aviation accidents over the past 10 years combined.
Between 2014 and 2023, South Korea recorded 67 aircraft accidents—excluding near misses—resulting in 59 deaths and 73 injuries.
The most accident-prone year was 2020, with 14 incidents, followed by 13 in 2021 and nine in 2018. Fatalities peaked in 2016, with nine deaths, while eight lives were lost annually in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Pilot error was the leading cause of accidents, responsible for 52.3% of incidents between 2013 and 2022, according to the Aviation and Railroad Accident Investigation Board.
Mechanical failures, turbulence, and infrastructure issues accounted for smaller percentages. The majority of accidents occurred during landing (43.1%), followed by cruising (23.1%) and approach phases (10.8%).
The crash at Muan International Airport is a sobering reminder of the risks in aviation, particularly as investigators piece together the causes. The ongoing rescue efforts aim to uncover more details, but the incident underscores the critical need for enhanced safety protocols in South Korea’s aviation industry.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
