Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "Removal or Reconstruction of 'Concrete Mounds' on Runways at Airports Nationwide" (Comprehensive)

Development of Aviation Safety Innovation Plan by April
Electric Vehicle Battery Risk Levels to be Automatically Reported to Fire Authorities
Enhanced Inspection of Dangerous Sinkholes

Firefighters are searching for fuel items at the site of the Jeju Air passenger plane collision and explosion accident that occurred 30 days ago at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is considering demolishing or reconstructing concrete mound-like structures identified as a cause that exacerbated the damage in the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster at Muan Airport in Jeollanam-do. The concrete mounds served as supports for the localizer (a device that guides aircraft for proper landing) located outside the runway. While localizers are usually installed on ground level parallel to the runway, at Muan Airport, they were installed on top of concrete structures.

Development of Aviation Safety Innovation Plan by April

On the 13th, the Ministry announced through the "2025 Major Work Plan of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport" that "the airport construction and operation guidelines, which were questioned for violations during the installation and improvement of the mounds at Muan Airport, will be reviewed and revised within the first half of this year to address deficiencies." Concrete mounds supporting localizers are installed at least in three other airports nationwide, including Yeosu Airport (4m), Pohang Gyeongju Airport (2m), and Gwangju Airport (1.5m).

Additionally, by the end of this month, special safety inspections will be conducted on 18 air traffic control facilities nationwide to examine issues such as manpower shortages among controllers. Comprehensive safety inspections will also be carried out to ensure that airlines, including low-cost carriers (LCCs), are conducting thorough maintenance. Based on the results of these safety inspections across airports and airlines, the Ministry plans to announce an "Aviation Safety Innovation Plan" by April. Private experts will also participate in this effort.

A special law to support bereaved families related to the Jeju Air passenger plane accident will also be enacted. The Ministry stated, "We will promote the enactment of a special law to provide support such as living and medical assistance, psychological counseling, childcare support, and memorial projects for families who lost loved ones in the accident." Furthermore, "a joint dedicated support organization involving the government, local governments, and public institutions will be established in January to provide systematic support to bereaved families."

They added, "We will objectively investigate the cause of the accident to prevent recurrence." Throughout the investigation process, results will be transparently disclosed to the bereaved families at each stage, and the accident investigation committee will be reorganized to strengthen the independence of the investigation. A white paper will also be published to document the accident response process, including support for bereaved families and the investigation.

Electric Vehicle Battery Risk Levels to be Automatically Reported to Fire Authorities

The Ministry also proposed measures to prevent electric vehicle fires in advance. Starting in April this year, a pilot service will be launched where the Battery Management System (BMS) diagnoses the battery and automatically notifies fire authorities if a risk level is detected. From next month, the government will directly certify battery safety standards compliance through a battery certification system and manage batteries by registering battery identification numbers through a battery history management system.

For two-wheeled vehicles, regular inspections will be conducted not only for emissions and noise but also for structural safety verification to prevent safety accidents caused by illegal modifications and poor maintenance.

To detect risks of train derailments and malfunctions caused by track warping due to heatwaves in advance, advanced technology-based safety systems will be expanded. An axle temperature monitoring system will be installed on 38 KTX-Sancheon train sets within this year. Additional installations will include axle temperature detection devices near Dongdaegu Station (2 locations) and thermal imaging cameras at Gwangmyeong, Daejeon, Ulsan, and Iksan stations.

Moreover, an Internet of Things (IoT) system for monitoring slopes will be installed at 100 locations to detect accident risks in real time. The integrated bridge measurement system will also be expanded from 36 to 38 locations.

Meanwhile, to prevent safety accidents caused by extreme rainfall such as the Osong underground road flooding incident, the rainfall design frequency for road facilities will be strengthened. The rainfall design frequency for drainage facilities in vulnerable underground road sections will be improved from 50 years to 100 years, and for slope drainage facilities from 20 years to 30 years.

Enhanced Inspection of Dangerous Sinkholes

On the 29th, a sinkhole occurred on a road in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, prompting emergency repair work. Due to this sinkhole accident, a passenger car fell in, and two occupants were seriously injured and transported to the hospital. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

To prevent accidents caused by ground subsidence like the sinkhole incident in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, inspection intervals for high-risk areas such as aging water pipelines will be shortened. The ground survey support project will be expanded from the current 2,300 km to 3,200 km to intensively manage vulnerable sections. Currently, inspections are conducted once every five years without considering risk levels, but going forward, inspections will be conducted up to twice a year depending on the risk level.

To reduce carbon emissions in the construction sector, the minimum grade required for zero-energy buildings when constructing new public buildings will be raised (from grade 5 to grade 4). For private new buildings with a total floor area of 1,000㎡ or more, the "Energy-saving Design Standards for Buildings" will be strengthened to improve building energy performance.

In the transportation sector, 20 billion KRW will be invested from this year through 2027 to conduct a hydrogen electric train demonstration project to replace diesel trains. Additionally, 28.9 billion KRW will be invested by 2028 for the development of hydrogen electric locomotive technology and a demonstration project for eco-friendly hydrogen trains. To prepare for the mandatory blending of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by 2027, usage targets will be established in the second half of this year.

To prevent building collapse accidents, safety management will be strengthened at each stage of construction projects, including design, construction, and supervision. To prevent repeated safety accidents caused by insufficient structural design, such as the accident in Geomdan, Incheon, the establishment of a new architectural structural engineer qualification will be pursued within this year to expand structural experts. Currently, there are only about 1,300 architectural structural engineers responsible for structural calculations of buildings.

Measures to prevent fall accidents, which account for half of construction site fatalities, will also be prepared. To enhance the expertise of supervisors responsible for site oversight, a national certification system for excellent supervisors will be introduced, selecting an initial group of 400 certified supervisors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.