The landing direction runway was 300m short...construction plan for concrete hill height

[Anchor]
At the time of the Jeju Air flight disaster, the runway in the direction where the plane finally landed was found to be 300 meters shorter than its original length due to construction.

The concrete mound, which has been blamed for massive casualties, has been confirmed to have been increased through additional construction starting in 2022.

Reporter Hwang Bo Hye-kyung on the report.

[Reporter]
Originally, the runway length of Muan Airport is 2,800 meters.

However, at the time of the disaster, the available distance was shortened by 300m due to construction.

[Joo Jong-wan / Director of Aviation Policy Division, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: It is true that the runway was being extended and operated at 2,500 meters.]

The distance traveled after the accident plane landed on the runway will also be shorter, and it is estimated that the final impact may have been greater.

In addition, additional construction of the concrete hill-type azimuth facility, local riser, which has been blamed for the significant increase in human damage, has been reported to have been carried out since 2022.

At the time of opening in 2007, the concrete pile support was covered with soil, but a new 30cm thick concrete top was installed.

[Joo Jong-wan / Director of Aviation Policy Division, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: The part that was added during the improvement work is not covered with concrete, but the top is covered with concrete.]

In response, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained that the reinforcement work appeared to have been carried out for safety reasons at the time.

The government has stepped back after claiming that the 2-meter-high concrete localizer meets the regulations, but the problem of the facility is getting worse as it has been revealed that concrete structures have been added.

The ministry declined to give an immediate answer on whether the installation of local risers was illegal and said it would conduct a full investigation into airport facilities across the country.

I'm YTN Hwang Bo Hye-kyung.

Filmmaker: Jeong Chul-woo
Video editing: Lee Eun-kyung