South Korean police have referred seven Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport officials to prosecutors over allegations that they knowingly prepared and distributed false official documents concerning the Muan International Airport localizer after the December 2024 Jeju Air crash. The National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation, through its December 29 Passenger Plane Disaster Special Investigation Team, announced the interim findings on August 26, 2026, with the briefing scheduled for 2 p.m. KST.
Police said the officials were involved in preparing or overseeing two press-reference documents issued on December 30 and 31, 2024, shortly after Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 crashed at Muan Airport. The documents carried the title, “The localizer at Muan Airport was installed in accordance with the relevant regulations.” Police allege that officials knew the localizer had regulatory problems but deliberately omitted relevant domestic and international provisions while distributing the material to ministry reporters.
According to the official investigation, the ministry later continued developing arguments concerning the legality of the localizer in an effort to avoid responsibility. Police said they found “circumstances in which the problems with the Muan Airport localizer were systematically concealed” and concluded that the relevant regulations had been selectively omitted or interpreted in a way favorable to the ministry.
The police investigation specifically examined requirements governing objects and equipment near runway ends. The official release cites Korean airport-facility standards requiring navigation equipment that must be located within a runway end safety area to be made of frangible material, with minimum weight and height to reduce the risk to aircraft. It also cites the Airport Safety Operating Standards, the detailed airport-obstacle management guidelines and ICAO Annex 14 requirements.
The police release further cites guidance stating that navigation facilities such as an ILS localizer should be designed and mounted on frangible supports so that they collapse on impact without damaging an aircraft. It also references ICAO Doc 9157, which says existing non-frangible ILS localizer structures within 300 metres of a runway end should be replaced with frangible structures or relocated beyond 300 metres.
The seven suspects comprise four ministry officials who were involved in preparing or reviewing the press-reference material and three officials described as overall supervisors. Police said the then-land minister and vice minister were not referred because investigators did not find evidence linking them to the preparation or distribution of the documents.
Police said the investigation began after members of a National Assembly special committee and bereaved families raised allegations in February 2026 that the ministry had attempted to downplay or conceal issues surrounding the crash. Investigators subsequently conducted two searches of ministry offices and related locations, securing meeting records and other evidence before questioning those involved.
The seven officials face allegations under South Korea’s Criminal Act, including Article 227, false preparation of official documents, and Article 229, use of such documents. The official release states that the offences carry a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million won.
The police special team said it has so far investigated 74 people in connection with the Jeju Air disaster. The seven referred in the document case are being handled separately, while the remaining 67 people are being investigated on professional negligence resulting in death or injury allegations connected with the crash itself. Police said additional suspects could be identified as the investigation progresses.
Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, a Boeing 737-800, was approaching Muan International Airport on December 29, 2024, when the aircraft experienced a bird-strike event and subsequently attempted an emergency landing. It overran the runway and collided with the concrete structure supporting the localizer before being destroyed by fire. Of the 181 people aboard, 179 died. Investigators have also examined bird-strike evidence and the aircraft’s flight-recording data, while the formal cause of the crash has not yet been finally determined.
Police stressed that the latest referral concerns the alleged preparation and use of false official documents and the alleged concealment of regulatory problems. It does not by itself establish the localizer as the sole cause of the crash. The special investigation team said it will continue examining responsibility for the accident and intends to complete the remaining investigations in accordance with law and procedure.
