[Anchor]

The special police investigation unit probing the Muan Airport passenger plane disaster has announced its interim investigation results. Police have forwarded seven officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to prosecutors on charges of concealing and downplaying the cause of the accident.

We have more from Reporter Kim Su-yun.

[Reporter]

The first individuals handed over to prosecutors by the special police investigation team probing the Muan Airport passenger plane disaster are seven officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Police concluded that these officials issued false press reference materials immediately after the disaster in December 2024.

Amid mounting public criticism over the cause of the accident and accountability at the time, the ministry allegedly distributed false press reference materials to reporters twice, claiming there were no issues despite the localizer installed at Muan Airport failing to meet relevant regulations, while intentionally omitting those regulations.

Although accident response meetings continued and working-level reports regarding the relevant regulations were made, police pointed to the officials' evasion of responsibility as the reason behind the omission of details unfavorable to the ministry.

Police determined that the officials systematically concealed problems concerning the localizer and selectively cited or distorted regulations to avoid accountability.

Following the raising of related suspicions during the National Assembly's special committee investigation into the passenger plane disaster that concluded in January, police conducted multiple raids on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport offices and secured statements from related parties to continue their investigation.

As a result, seven high-ranking ministry officials and others involved in drafting and reviewing the materials were forwarded without detention yesterday on charges including the creation of false official documents.

[Han Dong-hoon / Head of the Dec. 29 Passenger Plane Disaster Special Investigation Team: We hope this serves as a wake-up call regarding the distribution of false press releases on issues of high public interest....]

However, police explained that they did not find circumstances linking the former minister and vice minister of the ministry at the time to the offense.

Apart from the seven ministry officials forwarded this time, police are investigating 67 other individuals in connection with the cause of the disaster.

Police stated that they will continue their investigation to uncover the cause of the disaster and punish those responsible.

(Photo: Yonhap News / Video by Yang Ji-hoon / Video Editing by Yoon Tae-ho)