The remnants and debris of the Jeju Air passenger plane, which exploded after attempting a belly landing and colliding the previous day, remain on the runway at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, Monday. Yonhap

Debate is intensifying over whether the design of a structure at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province exacerbated the impact of the recent Jeju Air passenger plane crash.

Experts argue that the structure, constructed with soil and concrete in a tall and rigid design, amplified the impact and worsened the resulting damage.

The government maintains that the facility complies with both domestic and international regulations. However, revelations that design guidelines from four years ago recommended breakable materials to minimize damage have further fueled the controversy.

The localizer, a safety facility guiding aircraft during landing, has been criticized for being constructed with rigid materials, contrary to international standards.

During a morning briefing on Tuesday, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters emphasized that the localizer was constructed in accordance with domestic regulations.

Joo Jong-wan, head of the aviation policy division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, said, "The localizer is installed outside the runway's end safety area and is therefore not subject to guidelines under the Airport Facilities Act."

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines mandate that objects or facilities in the "runway and adjacent safety area" should be made of materials that easily break or deform upon impact to minimize damage to aircraft.

Additionally, structures should be designed with minimal height and weight where necessary. Korea's aviation safety operation standards also require that foundations for approved installations in runway safety areas should not extend more than 7.5 centimeters above ground and must be breakable.

Experts suspect that the localizer the ill-fated aircraft slammed into likely violated such regulations. The structure was built on a mound reinforced with concrete, standing approximately 4 meters tall, with the concrete estimated to be 1 meter thick.

Both ends of Muan Airport's runway feature similar structures, with the crash site located 251 meters south of the runway's end. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport stated that the localizer, located approximately 260 meters from the runway's end, is outside the combined safety area, meeting compliance requirements.

However, Kwon Bo-heon, a professor of aviation safety management at Far East University, said, "The rigid construction of the localizer likely worsened the accident's severity. Video footage shows the aircraft sliding smoothly along the runway before colliding with the mound and erupting into flames."

He said that had the localizer adhered to guidelines for height and material, the aircraft might have stopped without exploding.

Kwon said, "At the time Muan International Airport was designed, international standards applied to structures within 150 meters of the runway," adding, "Aircraft have become larger, and there is no need to cling to outdated regulations."

Experts worldwide have echoed these concerns. David Learmount, a former Royal Air Force aviation expert, told Sky News that the crash resulted in flames because the aircraft collided with a rigid structure, leading to fatalities. "Such a hard structure shouldn't have been there," he said.

Soldiers and police conduct search operations around the runway at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, Monday. Yonhap

Aviation experts agree that the collision of the aircraft with the localizer, which led to the fuselage breaking apart and a subsequent fire, highlights the need for a comprehensive review of localizer regulations.

They emphasize that rules requiring the installation of runway end safety areas and the use of breakable materials for aviation facilities should be viewed as essential multi-layered safety measures to minimize damage in the event of accidents.

Joo, head of the ministry's aviation policy division, said, "Future investigations will assess what might have happened if the concrete structure had not been present."

For context, localizers at airports like Incheon International are buried into the ground, whereas Jeju, Yeosu, and Pohang-Gyeongju airports feature structures similar to Muan's.

U.S. airports such as Los Angeles International also reportedly employ comparable designs. However, Muan airport officials maintain that their localizer complies with existing regulations.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.