The transport ministry instructed nine low-cost carriers to improve safety standards and avoid prioritising cost-cutting.

Korea plans to strengthen its oversight of low-cost carriers (LCCs) and impose strict penalties on airlines failing to meet enhanced operational safety standards, the government said Thursday, following last month's Jeju Air crash.

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.