GUNPO, (South Korea): Son Chang-wan, a former president of the state-run Korea Airports Corporation, who spearheaded a controversial facility upgrade at Muan International Airport, was found dead at his home in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday (Jan 21), the authorities confirmed.
Muan International Airport is where a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed on Dec 29, bursting into flames after colliding with a concrete embankment at the end of the runway.
Gunpo Police said that while an investigation into the circumstances of his death is ongoing, they found “no signs of intrusion or foul play”.
A police team in South Jeolla Province investigating the plane crash said the deceased was not a subject of their probe, nor had he been questioned as a witness.
The concrete structure, installed in May 2020 as part of a localiser system that helps aircraft land, has faced criticism for possibly exacerbating the Jeju Air crash, in which 179 of the 181 people on board were killed.
Investigators are now probing whether the system’s design and placement contributed to the tragedy.
Son served as president of Korea Airports Corporation from 2018 to 2022.
Meanwhile, a government inspection released on Jan 13 revealed that seven of South Korea’s 14 airports had installed concrete structures similar to those at Muan International Airport. - The Korea Herald/ANN
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