The Ministry of Construction and Transportation said Sunday that South Korea plans to invite the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch its Seoul office as part of its efforts to improve the country's air-safety rating.
At an extraordinary meeting, the ministry laid out the plan as one of countermeasures against the FAA's earlier decision to downgrade the country's air-safety rating to "Category II."
The meeting, led by Construction and Transportation Minister Oh Jang-seop, covered a set of measures to strengthen its cooperation with the U.S. body.
The ministry decided to sign a memorandum of understanding with the FAA late next month to promote bilateral technological exchanges and set up the Seoul office, with which the ministry wishes to hold working-level meetings to check up on the government's measures to enhance aviation safety on a monthly basis.
The measures are aimed at restoring the country's air-safety rating to "Category I" in a space of three to six months.