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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] The Jeju Air Pilots’ Union on March 12 called on South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) to issue a formal apology and hold responsible officials accountable following an audit that uncovered major shortcomings in aviation safety management.
In a statement, the union said the findings from the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) revealed “a shocking reality showing how irresponsibly and poorly the country’s aviation safety management system has been operated.”
“The ministry must take responsibility for the facility management failures and aviation safety oversight exposed in the audit and discipline those accountable,” the union said.
The union noted that experts and aviation workers had repeatedly raised concerns about the risks posed by localizer structures after the Muan International Airport disaster, but claimed the ministry had never issued a proper apology or taken meaningful corrective measures.
It also criticized the ministry for failing to mention localizer systems at Gimpo Airport and Yeosu Airport in a reference document released on Dec. 31 last year regarding improvements to airport navigation facilities.
“Before the accident, the ministry could claim it was unaware. But if it still failed to identify the problem afterward, it reflects incompetence; if it knew but did not disclose it, that would amount to an organizational cover-up,” the union said.
The union called on the government to conduct a comprehensive inspection of localizers and aviation navigation safety facilities at all domestic airports based on international standards and disclose the results transparently to the public.
It also urged MOLIT to launch fundamental reforms of the airport safety management system to ensure aviation safety is no longer compromised by administrative convenience or institutional self-protection.
Earlier, the Board of Audit and Inspection said the ministry had failed to adequately respond to structural problems with localizer installations, which were identified as a key cause of the Dec. 29 Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport.
The audit found that eight airports—including Muan, Gimhae, Yeosu, Sacheon, Gwangju, Pohang, Jeju, and Gimpo—had localizers installed with non-standard concrete mound structures, yet the ministry approved them during regular inspections as meeting safety requirements.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
