South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok has ordered the Transportation Ministry to conduct an emergency safety inspection of the country’s flight operations system, local news agency Yonhap reported on Monday.
Choi was speaking at a disaster management meeting in Seoul after a Jeju Air plane crashed at the country’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, resulting in 179 deaths and only two survivors, making it the deadliest aviation accident in South Korea.
“The pilot declared the flight a day of rest after issuing the bird strike alert,” said Joo Jong-wan, director of the aviation policy department at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Choi vowed that the government would “spare no effort” to support the bereaved and declared a seven-day mourning period for the country.
At a press conference on Sunday, Song Kyung-hoon, head of Jeju Air’s management support office, said the airline would support the victims and their families and that the plane was covered by $1 billion in insurance, Yonhap reported.
Addressing reports that a bird strike was the cause of the crash, Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae neither confirmed nor denied it.
“At present, the exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined, and we must wait for the official investigation by government authorities,” Kim said in a statement on Sunday.
Song rejected allegations that mechanical failures or inadequate safety precautions played a role in the crash.
“This crash is not about maintenance issues. There can be absolutely no compromise when it comes to aircraft maintenance,” Song said.
A Jeju Air plane reportedly returned to Gimpo International Airport shortly after takeoff on Monday because a similar problem was discovered with the plane’s landing gear.
The accident comes at a politically difficult time for South Korea.
Choi is the country’s second incumbent president in a month. He took on the role after incumbent President Han Duck-soon was impeached by lawmakers on Friday for refusing to appoint three judges to the Constitutional Court, which is hearing the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon was charged just weeks ago after declaring six hours of martial law earlier this month for the first time since the 1979 military coup.
Jeju Air shares hit an all-time low on Monday and were last down 8.53%, according to FactSet data. Shares of other Korean airlines were volatile.