South Korea orders air safety review after deadly plane crash

South Korea’s acting leader has ordered an urgent safety review of all airline operations in the country, a day after 179 people were killed in the deadliest plane crash on its soil.

A Jeju Air plane burst into flames when it made an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea, killing all but two victims on board.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok asked investigators into the incident to immediately disclose their findings to the bereaved families.

His request also comes as another Jeju Air flight turned back to Seoul shortly after takeoff on Monday due to an unidentified landing gear problem.

On Monday, the Jeju Air plane took off from Gimpo International Airport at 06:35 local time (21:35 GMT Sunday) and returned less than an hour later after finding a mechanical defect caused by the landing gear problem, South Korea’s news agency Yonhap agency reported.

Landing gear refers to a set of wheels and other aircraft parts that support the aircraft during takeoff, taxiing and landing.

The plane that returned was a Boeing B737-800, the same model as the one involved in Sunday’s crash.

Thirty-nine of the 41 aircraft in Jeju Air’s fleet are of this model.

After Sunday’s deadly crash, Boeing said it was in contact with Jeju Air and that it was “ready to support them.”

The 179 passengers on flight 7C2216 were aged between 3 and 78, although most were in their 40s, 50s and 60s, according to Yonhap news agency. Two Thai nationals were among the dead, and the rest are believed to be South Koreans, authorities said.

On Sunday, the ill-fated plane skidded off the runway after touching down and crashing into a wall shortly after 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).

A South Korean transport official said the plane was trying to land but was forced to stop after air traffic control issued a bird strike warning – a warning about the risk of a bird strike.

Air traffic control later cleared the plane to land from the opposite direction, the official said.

Airline bosses took a deep bow as they made a public apology at a press conference on Sunday.

“We deeply apologize to everyone affected by the incident. We will make every effort to resolve the situation,” the company said in a statement.

Shares of Jeju Air traded about 8 percent lower in Seoul on Monday.

The incident is a national tragedy for South Korea, which has been embroiled in political turmoil since parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol and his interim successor Han Dak-soo.

Acting President Choi, who only took office on Friday, said he was “heartbroken” by the incident.

“To the honorable citizens of our nation, as a sitting president, my heart aches as we face this unforeseen tragedy amid recent economic hardship,” he said.