After Deadly Crash, South Korea Tackles Its Bird Problem

In the wake of December's Jeju Air disaster, South Korea is introducing a number of new aviation safety measures—including some to keep birds away. While experts have indicated the plane's collision with the concrete localizer after landing may have been a key factor in the deaths of 179 of the 181 people aboard the Dec. 29 flight, government officials have said bird feathers and blood were found in both engines. (A definitive cause for the crash has yet to be released.) Among the measures the government announced Wednesday is a change to less-rigid localizer structures that collapse more easily. The bird factor is also being addressed, reports the New York Times.

Before the first half of the year is through, the Transport Ministry will have bird-deterrent drones in place at airports. By the close of 2026, it expects to have developed drones that can identify birds by type and release repellents; those should be in use by 2028. Other planned measures include the installation of thermal imaging cameras (only four of the country's 15 airports had one), sonic devices, and laser guns. The Ministry of Land in February said it also planned to "establish legal bases" needed to relocate properties that attract birds, like food waste treatment facilities and orchards, that currently sit near airports, as well as put in place new distance restrictions on any future facilities, reports Al Jazeera. (More Muan International Airport stories.)