South Korea's acting President, Choi Sang-mok, ordered an emergency safety inspection of the entire airline operation system on Monday as investigators worked to identify victims and determine the cause of the country's deadliest air disaster.

The tragedy involved a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, which belly-landed, skidded off the runway at Muan International Airport, and crashed into a wall, erupting in flames. The crash claimed the lives of 175 passengers and four of the six crew members. Two crew members survived and were rescued. Choi emphasised that the immediate focus is on identifying the victims, supporting their families, and providing medical care for the two survivors during a disaster management meeting in Seoul. "Even before the final results are out, we ask that officials transparently disclose the accident investigation process and promptly inform the bereaved families," he said.

"As soon as the accident recovery is conducted, the transport ministry is requested to conduct an emergency safety inspection of the entire aircraft operation system to prevent recurrence of aircraft accidents," he added. According to the Ministry of Transportation, authorities were debating whether to perform a special inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft flown by South Korean airlines. Shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Sunday, Jeju Air aircraft 7C2216, which was travelling from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, was attempting to touch down at the southern airport.  Fire officials have stated that investigators are looking into bird strikes and weather conditions as possible causes of the crash. Experts believe there are still many unanswered questions, such as why the plane, equipped with two CFM 56-7B26 engines, seemed to be travelling at such high speed and why its landing gear did not appear to be lowered when it slid down the runway and crashed into a wall. CFM International, which produces the plane's engines, is a joint venture between GE Aerospace and France's Safran. On Monday, transport ministry officials reported that the pilots, during a routine approach, informed air traffic control that the aircraft had experienced a bird strike. This happened shortly after the control tower warned them about birds in the area.

The pilots issued a mayday call and announced their plan to abort the landing and circle around to try again. Shortly after, the aircraft landed on its belly, touching down about 1,200 meters (1,312 yards) along the 2,800-meter (3,062-yard) runway. It then slid into a structure at the end of the runway. Officials are investigating whether the localiser antenna, positioned at the end of the runway to assist with landings, and the embankment it was on, contributed to the crash, according to transport ministry officials at a media briefing. "Normally, on an airport with a runway at the end, you don't have a wall," said Christian Beckert, a flight safety expert and Lufthansa pilot based in Munich. "You have maybe an engineered material arresting system, which lets the aeroplane sink into the ground a little bit and brakes (it)."

The crash mainly claimed the lives of local residents who were coming back from their holidays in Thailand, along with two Thai nationals who also lost their lives.  "I can only accept it, make peace with it," said Boonchuay Duangmanee, 77, the father of one of the Thai victims. "When I think about it, I remind myself that it was an accident. It's something that can happen to anyone. So, I've come to terms with it because no matter what I do, my daughter won't come back." Park Han-shin, who lost his brother in the crash, shared that authorities informed him his brother had been identified, but he has not yet been able to see his body.

He urged other victims' families to come together to address the disaster and support recovery efforts. He referred to the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, which caused over 300 deaths, noting that many of those families had expressed frustration over delays in identifying the victims and determining the cause of the tragedy. Officials from the transportation ministry stated that the jet's flight data recorder had been recovered, but its outer casing showed signs of damage. They added that it was unclear whether the data inside could still be analysed. Muan International Airport will remain closed until Wednesday, but all other international and regional airports in the country, including the main Incheon International Airport, are operating as usual.

Jeju Air shares dropped to their lowest level ever on Monday, falling by as much as 15.7%. According to global aviation rules, South Korea will lead the civil investigation into the crash, with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from the United States, where the plane was designed and built, automatically participating. The NTSB announced it is sending a team of U.S. investigators to assist South Korea's aviation authority. Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration are also involved in the investigation. People, including acting President Choi, gathered to pay their respects at a sizable memorial that was erected in a county gym some 9 kilometres (5 miles) from the crash site. Choi, who is in charge of the investigation and recovery efforts, took over as interim leader three days ago after the country's prime minister and president were impeached for imposing a brief martial law.