Police Summon and Investigate Kim I-bae, CEO of Jeju Air, Over 'Passenger Plane Disaster'

Reviewing the Lifting of the Travel Ban

Kim I-bae, CEO of Jeju Air, who was banned from leaving the country in connection with the December 29 passenger plane disaster, was summoned for police investigation.

The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency's Criminal Mobile Unit recently summoned CEO Kim as a witness for questioning, the agency announced on the 17th.

Kim E-bae, CEO of Jeju Air, is apologizing to the bereaved families at Muan International Airport in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, on December 29 last year. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

The police are known to have focused on confirming aspects related to the operation and safety management of the accident aircraft with CEO Kim. It is reported that Kim testified that there were no issues with the safety, maintenance, or operation of the accident aircraft.

Since the police have obtained a statement from the key witness, CEO Kim, they plan to review whether to lift the travel ban, which is set to expire on the 27th.

The police have summoned not only airline officials but also personnel from the airport, control tower, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and affiliated agencies as witnesses for investigation. In particular, they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the localizer facility, a directional device that the accident aircraft collided with, which is located near the end of the runway in the form of a concrete embankment.

Jeju Air flight 7C2216, departing from Bangkok, Thailand, and heading to Muan Airport, attempted to land on the runway at Muan Airport around 9:03 a.m. on December 29 last year but collided with airport facilities, causing most of the aircraft to be engulfed in flames. Of the 181 passengers on board, 179 lost their lives in the accident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.