South Korea has launched a "comprehensive inspection" of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by carriers in the country.
This was announced by an official on 30 December following the fatal crash of Jeju Air that killed 179 people..
US flight safety officials and officials from embattled aircraft manufacturer Boeing arrived to join investigators probing the worst air crash on South Korean soil. Authorities initially blamed it on a bird strike.
There were 181 people on board the Boeing 737-800 travelling from Thailand to South Korea when it signalled for help and made an emergency landing, then crashed into a bulkhead and burst into flames.
All aboard Jeju Air Flight 2216 perished except two flight attendants pulled from the wreckage.
"A thorough review will be made of maintenance records of key systems such as engines and landing gears for 101 planes operated by six airlines that use the same model as the plane that suffered the accident," said Civil Aviation Vice Minister Zhu Zhong-wan.
He added that the inspection would continue until January 3.
A seven-day mourning period has begun in South Korea. Flags flew at half-staff and the sitting president visited the crash site in southwestern Muan for a memorial ceremony.
Choi Sang-mook, who took office on December 27, said the government was making "every effort" to identify the victims and support the bereaved families.
Choi, who became acting president after his two predecessors were removed from office, said a "thorough investigation into the causes of the incident" would be conducted.
He also indicated that South Korea would carry out an "urgent safety inspection of the overall aircraft operation system" to prevent future aviation accidents.
South Korea has a solid track record in aviation safety and the two black boxes from Flight 2216 - the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder - were found.
So far, officials have identified 146 victims through DNA analysis or fingerprint collection.
Families of the victims camped out at the airport overnight in special tents after a long and harrowing day waiting for news of their loved ones.
"I had a son on board that plane," said an elderly man waiting in the airport lounge, who asked not to be named. He explained that his son's body had not yet been identified. | BGNES
