South Korea starts inspection of all airline operations after Jeju Air crash

South Korea has launched an emergency safety inspection of the country's entire airline operations, and a separate check of all Boeing 737-800s, after 179 people died in a Jeju Air crash involving the aircraft on Sunday.

- Justin McCurry Peter Beaumont

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As shocked people in the country began a second day of official mourning and flags flew at half-mast, the government said it would carry out the audit of all 101 of the aircraft in domestic operation, with US investigators, possibly including Boeing, joining the inspection.

Choi Sang-mok, who was appointed South Korea's acting president two days before the disaster, said an exhaustive inspection was essential to overhaul the aviation safety system and "move toward a safer Republic of Korea".

He was speaking as reports emerged that another passenger jet belonging to Jeju Air was forced to return to Gimpo airport in Seoul shortly after taking off yesterday, after an unspecified problem with its landing gear.

Landing gear malfunction is among the issues being targeted by the investigation into Sunday's crash, in which the plane skidded along the runway in what the aviation industry describes as a "belly landing".