SEOUL — South Korean police raided the offices of relevant state agencies including the Transport Ministry on Tuesday as part of an investigation into the 2024 Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179 people.Investigators from a special police team were sent to the state-owned Korea Airports Corporation, which operates most of South Korea’s major domestic airports except Incheon International Airport, as well as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Busan Regional Aviation Administration to conduct searches, Yonhap News Agency reported.Jeju Air Flight 7C 2216, which departed from Bangkok, Thailand, struck a localizer structure atop a concrete embankment at the end of the runway while making an emergency belly landing at Muan International Airport at about 9:03 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2024. Of the 181 people on board, 179 were killed.The searches were aimed at securing additional evidence related to suspicions of professional negligence resulting in death or injury, according to police.A team official said 45 people are currently facing such suspicions as part of the investigation.Police are also considering whether additional charges related to causing a serious public disaster could be applied, Yonhap reported.The investigation is also examining the cause of the Dec. 29, 2024 crash at Muan International Airport and whether government agencies and other responsible bodies properly carried out their duties.The disaster was one of the deadliest aviation accidents in South Korean history.
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