Korean Air has been in operation since 1969, and this article is about aviation incidents and accidents involving the airline and its predecessor companies Korean National Airlines and Korean Air Lines.

In the late 1990s, Korean Air was known for being "an industry pariah, notorious for fatal crashes" due to its extremely poor safety record as one of the world's most dangerous airlines.See Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers (2008), pp. 177–223 for a discussion of this turnaround in airline safety. Gladwell notes (p. 180) that the hull-loss rate for the airline was 4.79 per million departures, a full 17 times greater than United Airlines which at the same time had a loss rate of just 0.27 per million departures. In 1999, South Korea's president Kim Dae-jung described the airline's safety record as "an embarrassment to the nation" and chose Korean Air's smaller rival, Asiana, for a flight to the United States.

Between 1970 and 1999, several fatal incidents occurred. Since 1970, 17 Korean Air aircraft were written off in serious incidents, and accidents with the loss of 700 lives. Two Korean Air aircraft were shot down by the Soviet Union, one operating as Korean Air Lines Flight 902 and the other as Korean Air Lines Flight 007. Korean Air's deadliest incident was Flight 007 which was shot down by the Soviet Union on September 1, 1983. All 269 people on board were killed, including a sitting U.S. Congressman, Larry McDonald. The last fatal passenger accident was the Korean Air Flight 801 crash in 1997, which killed 229 people. The last crew fatalities were in the crash of Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 in December 1999.

Safety reportedly improved since as the airline made concerted efforts to improve standards in the 1990s which included bringing in outside consultants from Boeing and Delta Air Lines. In 2001, the Federal Aviation Administration upgraded South Korea's air-safety rating while Korean Air passed an International Air Transport Association audit in 2005. After the Flight 8509 accident in 1999, it was 23 years until another Korean Air aircraft crashed on landing and was written off; Korean Air Flight 631 overshot the runway at Mactan–Cebu International Airport in October 2022.

Several academics interviewed by CNBC in 2013 shared the belief that the hierarchical, linear nature of Korean social interactions could be a contributor to the airline's safety issues.

1960s 11 December 1969 – Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijacking: A NAMC YS-11-125 operating a domestic flight from Gangneung for Seoul when hijackers commandeered the aircraft and forced it to fly to Pyongyang, North Korea. Upon landing, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off. Several passengers and crew were returned to South Korea, though eleven continued to be held in North Korea.Aviation Safety Network, Hijacking description: KAL NAMC YS-11-125, Accessed 12 December 2012

1970s 23 January 1971 – 1971 Korean Air Lines Fokker F27 hijacking: A domestic scheduled Korean Air Lines passenger flight, operated by a Fokker F27 Friendship 500 (HL5212), between Sokcho and Seoul was hijacked by a man armed with hand grenades in the sky over Hongcheon County, Gangwon Province. A security officer shot the hijacker, and as he fell, the bomb he was holding exploded, and a co-pilot blocked it with his body, cutting off his left leg and right arm, and he later died from excessive bleeding. The aircraft crash-landed on a deserted beach in Goseong County, Gangwon, South Korea. The aircraft was written off. The incident was reenacted in the film Hijack 1971 (2024) directed by Kim Seong-han. 2 August 1976 – Cargo Flight 642 was a cargo flight operated by a Boeing 707 that departed from Tehran for Seoul when, after takeoff from runway 29, the aircraft inexplicably deviated from the Standard Instrument Departure (SID) procedure and drifted to the right instead of performing a left turnout. It continued and struck mountains at an altitude of . All five crew members died in the crash.Aviation Safety Network: Accident description: Boeing 707, Accessed 12 December 2012 20 April 1978 – Flight 902, a Boeing 707, departed from Paris for Anchorage and flew within of the North Pole when Canadian officials alerted the crew they were off course. They changed course, but worsened the situation by setting a course directly across the Barents Sea and into Soviet airspace. The plane was initially recognized by Soviet anti-aircraft defense radars as a Boeing 747. Sukhoi Su-15TM jets were sent to intercept. When both jets were flying next to the Korean airliner, the Korean captain claimed he slowed the plane and initiated landing lights. Nevertheless, the Su-15 crews were ordered to shoot down the plane. According to US intelligence sources, the Soviet pilot tried for several minutes to convince his superiors to cancel the attack on the civilian airliner. After an additional order, two R-60 missiles were launched. The first missed but the second severely damaged the left wing and shrapnel punctured the fuselage, causing rapid decompression that killed two passengers. The Korean pilot initiated an emergency descent to and entered clouds. Both Soviet jets lost the Korean plane in the clouds. The aircraft continued at low altitude, crossing the Kola Peninsula while searching for a landing opportunity. With night quickly coming on, several unsuccessful attempts were made before the plane landed on the ice of Korpijärvi lake, near Kem, Russia. All of the remaining occupants were rescued by Soviet helicopters.http://www.airsafe.com, "Plane Crashes and Significant Safety Events Since 1970 for Korean Air", Accessed 12 December 2012

1980s 19 November 1980 – Flight 015, operated by a Boeing 747, departed from Anchorage for Seoul when the aircraft struck a retaining embankment on the edge of the airport. The plane bounced back on to runway 14, broke apart, and caught fire. 14 people on the aircraft died, along with one fatality on the ground."ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-2B5B HL7445 Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport (SEL)." Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 4 November 2012. 15 September 1981 – , a Boeing 747 originating in Seoul, South Korea, and bound for Zürich, Switzerland, was taking off from Ninoy Aquino International Airport when it overshot the runway during an aborted takeoff, hitting the airport perimeter fence. As a result, the aircraft's nose blocked traffic on the service road of South Luzon Expressway. 40 of the 352 occupants were injured. 1 September 1983 – Flight 007 was a Boeing 747-230B that departed from New York City for Seoul via Anchorage. After takeoff from Anchorage at 13:00 UTC, the flight was cleared directly to the Bethel VOR beacon and then on to the Romeo 20 route. The pilot mistakenly diverted from its intended course and passed 12 miles north of the Bethel beacon. While approaching the Kamchatka peninsula, six Soviet MiG-23 fighters were scrambled. Because a U.S. Air Force Boeing RC-135 intelligence plane was flying in the area east off Kamchatka, the Soviets may have assumed the 747 radar echo to be the RC-135. The flight left Soviet airspace over the Sea of Okhotsk and the fighters returned to their base. Passing abeam the Nippi beacon four hours after takeoff, the aircraft was off course and headed for Sakhalin. Two Soviet Su-15 'Flagon' fighters were scrambled from Dolinsk-Sokol airbase. At 18:16 UTC, Flight 007 re-entered Soviet airspace. At 18:22, for the second time, Soviet command ordered destruction of the target. Two air-to-air missiles were launched by one of the fighters and one struck the Boeing at 18:26. Cabin pressure was lost and the aircraft suffered control problems, causing the plane to spiral into the sea near Moneron Island. The event was denounced by the US Reagan Administration as a "deliberate and wanton act of murder by an evil empire." Boris Yeltsin handed the black boxes to the Federal Aviation Administration. All occupants aboard the aircraft were killed.Aviation Safety Network, Criminal occurrence description: KAL Boeing 747-230B, Accessed 12 December 2012 23 December 1983 – Cargo Flight 084 was operated by a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 from Anchorage to Los Angeles. While taxiing out in fog, the Korean crew became disoriented and ended up on the wrong runway. During the takeoff run, the aircraft collided head-on with South Central Air Flight 59, a Piper PA-31 which was taking off from runway 6L-24R for a flight to Kenai. The nine occupants of the South Central Air flight were injured. The DC-10 overran the runway by 1,434 feet and came to rest 40 feet right of the extended centerline. Federal investigators determined that the Korean pilot had failed to follow accepted procedures during taxi, causing disorientation while selecting the runway. The pilot also failed to use the compass to confirm his position. The aircraft was written off, though none of the involved were killed.Aviation-Safety.net: Cargo Flight 084 18 May 1985 – A Boeing 727 operating a domestic flight from Seoul to Jeju was in flight when a lone hijacker demanded to be taken to North Korea. After the hijacker was overpowered, the aircraft was diverted to Gwangju where he was arrested by the Korean authorities.Boeing 727-281 registration unknown Gwangju (Kwangju) Airport 29 November 1987 – Flight 858 was a Boeing 707-3B5C operating a flight from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok. When the aircraft was northwest of Tavoy, Burma over the Andaman Sea, the aircraft exploded and disintegrated. All 115 occupants aboard were killed. Investigation revealed that a bomb explosion caused the crash. Two saboteurs disguised as passengers, who had deplaned at Abu Dhabi, left a radio and liquor bottle containing hidden explosives in the overhead rack at row 7. South Korea accused Kim Jong Il, son of then-North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, of ordering the 1987 bombing of Flight 858. No direct evidence has emerged to link Kim to the bombing, but a North Korean agent, Kim Hyon Hui, confessed to planting a bomb, saying the operation was ordered by Kim Jong Il personally. 27 July 1989 – Flight 803 was operated by a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30. The flight originated in Seoul, bound for Tripoli, Libya with intermediate stops in Bangkok, Thailand and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As the aircraft prepared to land in Tripoli, visibility was varying between 1000 and 800 feet and the instrument landing system for runway 27 had been reported unserviceable. On final approach to runway 27, the aircraft crashed short of the runway, striking four houses and a number of cars. 75 occupants aboard the aircraft were killed, along with four people on the ground. 124 survived the crash and resulting fire.Aviation Safety Network, Accident description: Korean Air Flight 803, Accessed 12 December 2012 25 November 1989 – Flight 175 was a regularly scheduled flight from Seoul to Ulsan operated by a Fokker F-28 Fellowship 4000. During takeoff, the number one engine lost power, forcing the pilots to abort the takeoff. However, the aircraft was unable to stop and overran the runway before bursting into flames. There were several injuries but no deaths. It was determined that due to improper flight preparation, icing had developed on the wings. The aircraft was unsalvageable and thus written off.

1990s