South Korea: Police raid Muan airport following Jeju crash

South Korean police raided Muan International Airport on Thursday morning where a Jeju Air plane had crashed on Sunday, local Yonhap news agency reported.

In a statement reported on by the AFP news agency, police said: "In relation to the plane accident that occurred on December 29, a search and seizure operation is being conducted from 9 a.m. on January 2 at three locations."

The locations including Muan airport, the Jeju Air office in Seoul and a regional aviation office.

A Jeju Air spokesperson said the company were assessing the situation.

Inspections of Boeing plans ongoing
Earlier on Thursday, South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok told a disaster management meeting that the conversion of data from the Jeju Air 7C2216 cockpit voice recorder to an audio file would be finished by Friday.

After the plane's landing gear failed to deploy, the plane belly-landed at Muan International Airport before crashing into an earth-and-concrete embankment and bursting into flames.

"As there's great public concern about the same aircraft model involved in the accident, the transport ministry and relevant organisations must conduct a thorough inspection of operation maintenance, education, and training," Choi said.

His comments, which came at the beginning of the meeting, were passed on to media by the acting President's office.

The aircraft's flight data recorder, which sustained some damage, has been taken to the United States for analysis in cooperation with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The NTSB, US Federation Aviation Administration and the maker of the aircraft, Boeing, have all sent investigators to South Korea to help probe the worst air disaster in the country.

Choi added that no effort would be spared in helping the families of the victims, as the remains of those killed are handed over them.

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