South Korean police raid Muan airport and Jeju Air office after horror crash that killed 179 people

Friday, January 03, 2025 - South Korean police on Thursday raided Muan International Airport and Jeju Air's office just days after the airline's horror crash that killed 179 passengers.

The Jeonanam Provincial Police launched a search and seizure operation into the southwest South Korea airport and the airline's office in Seoul.

Authorities also swarmed the Muan office of the Busan Regional Office of Aviation, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Police said in a statement to AFP: 'In relation to the plane accident that occurred on December 29, a search and seizure operation is being conducted from 9 a.m. on January 2 at three locations.'

Police issued a search warrant for professional negligence resulting in death, according to officials.

The search comes after a 15-year-old Jeju Airline Boeing 737-800 was torn apart and burst into flames across the Muan Airport runway on Sunday.

A total of 179 were killed that day when a plane carrying 181 passengers skidded off a runway as it landed and smashed into a wall.

South Korea's emergency office said the jet's landing gear seemingly malfunctioned, with a bird striking the aircraft among the possibilities of what caused the crash.

The death toll includes at least 82 men and 83 women, according to the National Fire Agency.

Two crew members, a man and a woman, were miraculously rescued from the tail section of the burning plane.