Controversy arises over independence of plane disaster probe

[Anchor]

We continue with news related to the Jeju Air disaster.

There is controversy over the independence of the investigation committee formed to determine the cause of the accident.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which is responsible for airport management, has been criticized for conducting a 'self-investigation' by forming the investigation team.

Reporter Lee Seung-cheol has the details.

[Report]

The organization dedicated to investigating the Jeju Air disaster is the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Former head of the Air Traffic Management Office, Jang Man-hee, serves as the chairperson, while the head of the Aviation Policy Division, Joo Jong-wan, is the standing member.

In addition, there are four more non-standing members from the aviation sector, but the actual field investigations are conducted by aviation accident investigators who are public officials belonging to the committee.

The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Act emphasizes the independence of the committee, but it is subject to the direction and supervision of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport regarding personnel and budget matters.

The ministry is also a stakeholder responsible for managing the concrete embankments, which have been pointed out as a major cause of the increased damage.

The representatives of the bereaved families raise concerns about a conflict of interest, claiming that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is conducting a 'self-investigation.'

[Kim Jeong-hee/Lawyer/Gwangju Bar Association Legal Support Team: "The chair of the investigation committee is a former bureaucrat from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the standing member is the current head of the Aviation Policy Division. Ultimately, those with direct interests from the ministry..."]

Unlike us, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States is an independent federal agency with its own personnel and budgetary authority.

There is no executive branch intervention in the report writing, and they report directly to Congress, which highlights the difference in independence.

Countries like Canada and Finland also operate independent accident investigation bodies.

[Byeon Soon-cheol/PhD/Secretary General of the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Association/Former Investigation Team Leader: "For the development direction of the board, it should ideally evolve into a completely independent body under the direct control of the President, like the U.S. NTSB..."]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated that the investigation by the board is being conducted independently and fairly.

This is KBS News, Lee Seung-cheol.