By Hyunjoo Jin and Jungmin Ryu
SEOUL, Dec 26 (Reuters) - A South Korean investigation into the Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people is set to miss a one-year deadline to release a progress report, two officials said, as frustrated relatives of the victims continue to demand answers about what went wrong.
The country's accident investigation board will not be in a position to release the interim update by the first anniversary on Monday of the worst aircraft accident on South Korean soil, the two board officials
said. They declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.
On December 29, 2024, the Boeing 737-800 made an emergency belly landing at Muan airport, overshot the runway then slammed into a concrete embankment and erupted into a fireball, killing all but two of the 181 people on board.
The government-led Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board said in a preliminary report in January that both of the plane's engines sustained bird strikes.
The pilots shut off the less-damaged engine after the bird strike, investigators said in a July update that was not released publicly due to objections from victims' families.
VICTIMS' FAMILIES FRUSTRATED
Some of the family members said investigators appeared to blame the pilots without exploring other factors, such as the concrete structure beyond the end of the runway that likely made the disaster far more deadly.
"It feels like all kinds of doubts are just growing bigger and bigger. In the meantime, a year has gone by, and it feels like the frustration is only continuing to build," said Ryu Kum-Ji, a 42-year-old woman who lost both of her parents in the crash.
She joined other family members who shaved their heads and staged a protest in front of a presidential office, calling for an independent and transparent probe.
Missteps by the transport ministry, which oversees the investigation board, could also be a factor in the accident, Ryu said.
A transport ministry official told bereaved family members this month that it would examine their concerns.
"We take seriously your concerns saying that government's efforts were not sufficient in the process of (finding the truth)," the second vice minister of the transport ministry said. "The government will stand by the bereaved families and take a closer look."
South Korea's parliament will launch an independent probe into the crash on Tuesday.
REPORT DELAYED
Under the U.N. aviation body's rules, a final report is expected within a year of an accident, and if that is not possible, an interim statement should be made public on every anniversary detailing the investigation's progress and any safety issues raised.
But the investigation board is not planning to release an update yet because of pending legislation designed to ensure its independence, said the two officials.
Lawmakers have proposed replacing board members and transferring oversight from the transport ministry to the prime minister's office.
"We will respect the decision of the newly formed committee regarding the timing of the interim statement's publication," said one of the board officials.
South Korea's anti-corruption body found in a report this week that the concrete embankment at Muan airport violated local and global standards that call for such structures to be "frangible" so they give way in case of impact. That meant it could "cause fatal damage to aircraft and occupants."
The board had planned public hearings in early December, but delayed them at the request of the victims' families and lawmakers. Police are also investigating the accident.
"All we want is for authorities to admit they were wrong if they did wrong, and apologise. Apology and a proper disclosure of the truth...that is what we want," Ryu said.
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Jungmin Ryu; Additional reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Ed Davies and Jamie Freed)
