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Jin Air flight evacuated over smoke in cabin

Published: 02 Jan. 2026, 17:08

A Jin Air passenger aircraft is seen in this file photo [YONHAP]

Passengers and crew members were evacuated from a Jin Air flight after smoke filled the cabin before departing from Jeju International Airport on Friday.

Flight LJ436 was scheduled to depart Jeju at 12:25 p.m. and head to Pohang Gyeongju Airport in Pohang, North Gyeongsang. However, unidentified smoke entered the cabin during boarding, prompting the evacuation of all 122 people onboard.

The cockpit reportedly received an internal alert as the smoke was detected.

An inspection later revealed that the smoke was caused by overheating in the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (APU), located in the tail section. The APU supplies power and other utilities to the aircraft while on the ground.

A Jin Air representative clarified that no fire had occurred and that the airport’s fire services were not dispatched.

“We are currently inspecting the aircraft, and a replacement flight is scheduled to depart at 4:35 p.m.,” the representative said, following the incident.

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 KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]