South Korean airports will replace the concrete barriers into which the plane crashed in Muan

The cause of the worst air disaster in South Korean history is still unknown, but security experts agree that many victims could have been saved if there were no poorly constructed barriers, the BBC reports.

Part of these concrete barriers are navigation systems called localizers, which are supposed to help with landing. After the accident, safety inspectors found nine such systems in the country that will need to be modified. This also applies to systems directly at Muan Airport or Jeju Airport, the second largest in the country. Concrete structures will either be replaced by lighter ones or buried underground. In the case of Muan, the concrete barriers will be removed completely and the locators will return to the runways as part of the “breakable structures”.

After the December crash, it became clear that the airport’s operational manual from the beginning of last year stated that the concrete barriers were too close to the end of the runway. However, their location was to be reassessed only during the planned expansion of the airport.

Seven airports will also have to adjust their safety zones at the runways, as checks have shown that they are shorter than the recommended 240 meters. This measure also applies to Muan, whose safety zone measures only approximately 200 meters. These zones are supposed to reduce the damage that the plane will suffer in the event of a faulty landing.