SEOUL Seventy bereaved families of victims of the Korean Air jet crash in Guam in l997 yesterday lodged lawsuits against Korean Air and two American aircraft and parts makers, seeking damage compensation for the tragic accident.
Each of the plaintiffs has already received 275 million won in compensation from the nation s oldest flag carrier. This marks the first time that they have sued Boeing, the maker of the crashed jet, and Rockwell Collins, the manufacturer of a machine installed in the jet which relayed information to the glidescope at Guam airport.
The lawsuits are based on the bereaved families feelings of unfair treatment, in the wake of a settlement between the U.S. administration and some South Koreans who had refused to receive compensation from Korean Air.



the Seoul District court, seeking a symbolic compensatory amount of l0,000 won each. "We will seek more compensation after calculating our damages accurately," they said, blaming pilot error, air control mistakes at the airport and mechanical troubles.
Lawyer Suh Dong-hee, who represents the plaintiffs, said the latest lawsuits will primarily target Boeing and Rockwell Collins. "It won t be difficult for use to get compensation from the U.S. companies, because the (U.S) National Transportation Safety Board found that the jet crash was caused by the malfunctioning of the glidescope," the lawyer said.
Five survivors and families of victims of the Guam crash have agreed to receive ll million won , in exchange for withdrawing their lawsuits against the U.S. administration.
The NTSB, a U.S. agency which investigates air crashes, said last November that the Guam crash was blamed on both pilot error and the airports faulty radar system.
The report said if the minimum safe altitude warning (MSAW) system had been operating as initially intended, a visual and aural warning would have been activated about 64 seconds before the jet crashed. MSAW is a radar system designed to warn low-flying planes of nearby obstacles.
The Korean Air Boeing 747 jet crashed into a hillside during its landing at the Guam airport in August l997, leaving 229 dead. Only 25 passengers survived the crash.