Son Chang-wan was in office while works were undertaken at Muan International Airport. Last month, a plane crashed into a concrete barrier there, killing 179 people.

South Korea will remove concrete barriers used at airports across the country after a plane crash in December that claimed the lives of 179 people.

Son Chang-wan, a former president of the state-run Korea Airports Corporation, who spearheaded a controversial facility upgrade at Muan International Airport, was found dead at his home in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province,

The government on Wednesday announced a comprehensive plan to address potential risks associated with emergency landings at airports across the country following last month's deadly Jeju Air accident.

South Korea will extend runway safety areas and redesign infrastructure after the crash of a Jeju Air Co flight last month that killed almost everyone on board, sparking criticism that the design of the airport might have exacerbated the accident.

The airport is the site of the Dec. 29 crash of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 jet that killed 179 passengers on board.

South Korea's transport ministry said on Wednesday that it would remove the concrete embankment installed at Muan International Airport following last month's Jeju Air crash, its deadliest domestic air disaster.

Seven airports will also have their runway safety areas adapted following a review of all South Korea's airports that was carried out after the crash - the deadliest in the country's history. The Jeju Air flight was bringing passengers home from Thailand after Christmas when it made an emergency landing at Muan airport and exploded after slamming into a concrete barrier at the end of the runway.