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South Korea police raid transport ministry in widening Jeju Air crash probe

By Thomson Reuters Mar 12, 2026 | 8:01 PM

SEOUL, March 13 (Reuters) – South Korean police investigating the 2024 Jeju Air crash said ​on Friday they had raided ‌the transport ministry as part of a widening probe into whether regulatory lapses contributed to the disaster ‌at ​Muan International Airport.

The ⁠raid follows an ongoing ⁠reinvestigation of wreckage led by the ministry and the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, ​which has uncovered additional human remains and personal belongings ⁠more than a ⁠year after the crash, ​prompting renewed questions over the initial ​response.

Authorities have already searched regional ‌aviation offices and contractors involved in the airport’s construction as part of a broader effort ⁠to determine responsibility for the crash, which killed 179 people.

A police official declined ⁠to ‌comment further on Friday’s ⁠raid, but Yonhap News ​Agency ‌cited an official as ​saying it ⁠was aimed at securing additional material needed for the ongoing probe into the cause of the disaster.

(Reporting by Kyu-seok ShimEditing by ​Ed Davies)