This photo, provided by a reader, shows the interior of an Asiana Airlines plane, one of whose doors suddenly opened right before landing at Daegu International Airport, about 240 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 12:45 p.m. on May 26, 2023. The plane carrying 194 people landed safely, but some panicked passengers showed symptoms of breathing difficulty and were immediately taken to a hospital. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Korea Bizwire) —Korean Air Co. said Monday it will adopt a zero tolerance policy toward passengers who tamper with aircraft emergency exits, warning that it will seek criminal charges against violators to strengthen aviation safety.
The country’s flag carrier said it is responding to a rise in such incidents, which pose a serious threat to flight safety. Korean Air said there have been 14 cases of exit tampering or attempted tampering in the past two years.
The company noted that unauthorized tampering of exit doors has continued despite heightened awareness following a widely reported 2023 Asiana Airlines case in which a passenger opened an exit door in the middle of the flight.
South Korea’s Aviation Security Act prohibits passengers from touching aircraft doors, exits or onboard equipment, and violations are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Korean Air said it will refer all such cases for criminal prosecution, seek civil damages for actual losses and impose travel bans on violators.
(Yonhap)
