Eight additional incumbent and former officials from the transport ministry have been named suspects in the ongoing police investigation into the crash of a Jeju Air flight that killed 179 people.

The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency said Wednesday that it was investigating whether the eight had committed occupational and gross negligence causing death and injury in connection with the tragedy at Muan International Airport last December.

Some of the suspects were in charge of licensing when Muan Airport first opened in 2007, and others handled safety-related facility inspections later on.

The police determined that the group could be held accountable for the installation of the localizer atop a concrete mound at the end of the airport's runway, into which the plane is believed to have crashed. 

Police had earlier placed 15 other individuals responsible for air traffic control, bird strike prevention and localizer construction under investigation.

Nine additional people against whom the bereaved families have filed criminal complaints, including the former transport minister and the head of Jeju Air, have also been linked to the case.