A concrete barrier supporting an antenna array is seen damaged at the site of the Dec. 29 Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport on Jan. 8. (Yonhap)
A concrete barrier supporting an antenna array is seen damaged at the site of the Dec. 29 Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport on Jan. 8. (Yonhap)

South Korea will remove hazardous structures found near runways at seven of its 14 airports across the country, following the crash of a Jeju Air flight that killed 179 of the 181 people on the plane last month, officials announced Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, immediate safety improvements will be carried out at the seven airports, including Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, the site of the tragic crash that became the deadliest aviation disaster on South Korean soil.

This comes as a follow-up measure after the ministry’s safety inspection revealed nine facilities at airports that have localizer housings that are difficult to break upon aircraft collision.

On Dec. 29 last year, the Jeju Air plane struck a concrete mound at the runway's end and became engulfed in flames after it belly-landed without deploying landing gear.

The seven sites include three -- Gwangju Airport, Yeosu Airport in South Jeolla Province and Pohang Gyeongju Airport in North Gyeongsang Province -- that were found to have concrete mounds supporting their localizers, similar to that at the airport in Muan. Gimhae International Airport that serves Busan and Sacheon Airport in South Gyeongsang Province have concrete foundations protruding slightly above ground, while Jeju Airport uses a solid H-beam steel structure.