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Police launch procedural raid to acquire Jeju Air crash investigation files

Published: 16 Dec. 2025, 15:42 Updated: 16 Dec. 2025, 19:30

Firefighters remove tarps covering the debris of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Jan. 13 following its crash on Dec. 29, 2024. [YONHAP]

Police on Tuesday launched a procedural search and seizure at the offices of a government committee investigating last year’s Jeju Air passenger plane crash to obtain records for a criminal probe after the agency could not provide them voluntarily, police officials said.

The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency said its special investigation headquarters began the raid at 9 a.m. at the offices of the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB), which operates under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Police described the raid as a procedural step to obtain records.

“We repeatedly requested materials containing investigation details from the committee, but it responded that it could not provide them voluntarily, prompting compulsory measures,” an official said. “No specific criminal allegations have been identified.”

The warrant was necessary because the law bars accident investigation bodies from voluntarily releasing internal materials to criminal investigators, police added.

Police sent 26 investigators to the board’s offices, including 14 to its Gimpo office in Gyeonggi and 12 to its Sejong office, to secure documents and other materials related to the accident.

Officials from the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board leave the briefing room on the third floor of the management building at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on July 19, after a scheduled briefing on the detailed engine analysis related to the Jeju Air crash was canceled. [YONHAP]

The ARAIB is a specialized body responsible for probing aviation and rail accidents. It has led the investigation into the Jeju Air crash since shortly after the accident.

But critics, including some families of the 179 victims killed on board, have questioned its independence because it operates under the Land Ministry, which oversees aviation safety.

Lawmakers have since pushed legislation to place the ARIAB under the prime minister’s office as an independent body. The bill passed out of a National Assembly standing committee.

Investigators including officials from the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, police and families of the victims of the Jeju Air crash inspect a localizer at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Feb. 26. [YONHAP]

Investigators are examining potential negligence linked to the plane crash — the deadliest to occur on Korean soil — including air traffic control operations, bird strike prevention measures and the installation of navigational facilities.

Police are investigating 44 people, including airport operator employees, contractors involved in navigational facility construction and current and former transport ministry officials responsible for safety inspections and approvals.

Police are also investigating complaints filed by victims’ families and their legal support group against Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae and former Land Minister Park Sang-woo.

Officials said they will continue the investigation based on the materials seized from the committee and forensic analysis conducted by the National Forensic Service.

The Jeju Air crash occurred at about 9:03 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2024, when a passenger jet flying from Bangkok, Thailand, attempted a belly landing at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla and collided with a concrete localizer embankment beyond the runway, killing 179 of the 181 people onboard.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI KYEONG-HO,HWANG HEE-GYU [[email protected]]