South Korea police raid Muan airport over Jeju Air crash that killed 179

South Korean police said they raided Muan airport and the Jeju Air office Thursday morning over the crash involving one of the carrier's Boeing 737-800s that killed 179 people. Jeju Air flight 2216 was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea on Sunday when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed before hitting a barrier and bursting into flames, killing everyone aboard except two flight attendants pulled from the burning wreckage. South Korean and US investigators, including from Boeing, have been combing the crash site in southwestern Muan since the disaster to establish a cause, with both black boxes found and decoding work ongoing. "In relation to the plane accident that occurred on December 29, a search and seizure operation is being conducted from 9 am (0000 GMT) on January 2 at three locations," including Muan airport, the Jeju Air office in Seoul, plus a regional aviation office, police said in a statement sent to AFP. "The police plan to swiftly and rigorously determine the cause and responsibility for this accident in accordance with the law and principles." After the crash, South Korea announced that all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country's carriers would be subject to special inspections, focusing on the landing gear, which appears to have malfunctioned during the Sunday crash. South Korea's acting president, Choi Sang-mok, said Thursday that "immediate action" must be taken if that probe uncovered any issues with the aircraft model. Authorities have previously said that 101 aircraft of the same model were in operation by six different airlines. "As there's great public concern about the same aircraft model involved in the accident, the transport ministry and relevant agencies must conduct a thorough inspection of operation maintenance, education, and training," Choi said Thursday.<br/>