Doomed South Korean plane ‘crashed 3 YEARS ago’ despite airline saying jet had clean history before disaster killed 179
A BOMBSHELL investigation into South Korea's horror plane crash has revealed how the very same plane was involved in another smash just three years ago.
It has been claimed that Jeju Air swore the plane had no history of accidents and no maintenance issues - despite being involved in a collision in 2021 as it took off.
It damaged the enormous jet - but Jeju allegedly continued to fly the plane as planned, leading to a fine of more than £108,000.
When CEO of Jeju Air, Kim Yi-bae, was questioned over the plane that smashed on Sunday killing 179 people, he said it had no accident history.
But Korea Airports Corporation reported that "after checking the statistical system, the same plane had an accident three years ago".
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The crash took place on February 17, 2021, as the jet took off from Gimpo Airport to Jeju Airport.
Several years later, on Sunday at Muan International Airport, the same plane crash landed on the tarmac and careened into a brick wall.
It exploded in an enormous fireball, killing all but two of the 181 onboard in a devastating catastrophe.
Authorities and loved ones of the crash victims are camped out at the airport as officials attempt to ID the body parts of those killed.
One heartbroken man at the scene asked police: "Can you promise that they will be put back together?"
Officials are believed to have recovered more than 600 body parts as they deal with the aftermath of the horror crash.
South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport - who dished out the fine to Jeju Air in 2021, said: "It is a violation of safety regulations to fly without properly checking for damage to a part of the aircraft."
One member, Park Yong-gap, added: "In particular, the aircraft involved in this accident had a collision accident three years ago while taking off.
"Yesterday, Jeju Air said that it had no accident history at all. Isn’t that a false explanation?"
Jeju Air hit back, claiming: "The accident three years ago was so minor that we classified it as a non-accident under the Aviation Act and said that there was no accident history.
"We have paid the full fine and completed all inspections and maintenance, and are now operating normally."
Serious questions are being asked about whether Sunday's crash - the worst aviation incident to hit South Korea in decades - could have been avoided.
Lee Jin-cheol, the Administrator of the Busan Regional Aviation Administration, said until now fingerprints had been used to ID bodies.
He added: "But we have nearly reached the limit, and there are cases of errors occurring.
"From now on, we will likely have to rely on DNA testing."
Among those killed were three generations of the same family.
A man in his 60s told Korean Yonhap news agency that his sister-in-law, daughter, her husband and their young children had died.
All those on board the flight are thought to have been Korean except for two Thai nationals -one of whom was a 22-year-old woman called Sirithon Chaue.
Tragically, her mother was waiting for her at the airport when the plane crashed landed.
Chaue's uncle told how she was going to visit her mum, who lives in South Korea, and hoped to find a job there.
He added: "She always dreamed of working there as an air hostess.
"Her mother was waiting at the airport and at first she thought the plane malfunction was minor. But then she saw the videos of what happened on social media. She was in shock and panic."
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Five of those killed were children under the age of ten.
Among them was a three-year-old boy, who is understood to have been killed alongside his parents as they returned from their first family holiday.