Police raided the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Friday, March 13, 2026, as part of the investigation into the 2024 Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179 people. The raid came after the recent discovery of some victims' remains at the site, prompting President Lee Jae Myung to order a thorough probe into the mishandled recovery efforts on Thursday. The inquiry traces back to the airport's construction starting in 1999.
A special police investigation team raided the headquarters of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Sejong at 8:40 a.m. on Friday, March 13, 2026, to seize supplementary materials. The action is part of the probe into the cause of the Jeju Air passenger plane crash at Muan International Airport on December 29, 2024, which resulted in 179 deaths, and to assess whether responsible agencies handled the incident properly.
The search warrant listed four suspects, all employees from the ministry's air navigation and airport divisions at the time of the crash. Police have booked 64 individuals in connection with the tragedy on suspicions of occupational negligence resulting in death or injury, among other charges. The investigation examines factors dating back to the airport's construction beginning in 1999.
The raid follows the recent discovery of some victims' remains at the crash site, which led President Lee Jae Myung to order a thorough investigation into the bungled recovery efforts on Thursday, March 12. This development has renewed scrutiny on the response to the disaster. Further measures may follow based on the ongoing inquiry.
