8 localizers to be repaired

[Anchor]

In light of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, the government has investigated and announced the status of localizers at airports nationwide.

In addition to Muan Airport, it was found that eight localizer facilities are similar in form to concrete mounds.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which had previously stated that there were no issues since these facilities were located outside the safety zone, has decided to improve these facilities within this year.

Reporter Lee Ji-eun has the story.

[Report]

The localizer installed at the end of the runway at Muan Airport.

At the bottom, there is a 2-meter-high mound covered with earth over a concrete structure.

This solid localizer facility, identified as a cause that exacerbated the scale of the disaster, has been discovered at other airports in the country as well.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport inspected 13 airports nationwide, excluding Muan Airport, and identified an additional eight localizers built in this form at six locations, including Gwangju, Gimhae, and Jeju airports.

Gwangju, Yeosu, and Pohang-Gyeongju airports each had one concrete mound similar to that at Muan Airport, while Gimhae and Sacheon airports had two concrete structures each, measuring less than 1 meter in height.

Jeju Airport had a solid structure in the shape of the letter H made of steel.

The Ministry reports that these localizers protrude above the ground, posing a high risk of collision with aircraft landing on the runway.

[Kim Kwang-il/Professor of Flight Operation at Silla University: "If possible, concrete structures should be designed to be below ground or in a way that does not affect aircraft, and the poles above them can be made of materials that are more likely to break, so measures will likely be taken accordingly."]

The locations of the facilities identified this time are all outside the safety zone at the end of the runway.

Until now, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport maintained that localizers outside the safety zone do not need to be made of breakable materials, asserting that there were no issues, but following this incident, they have decided to revise the relevant regulations.

The Ministry plans to complete measures this year, including reviewing options to bury the problematic localizers underground.

This is KBS News, Lee Ji-eun.