SEOUL: South Korean Police are investigating a man in his 60s for fiddling with an emergency exit door aboard a passenger jet that landed in Busan last week, local media reported on Wednesday (Dec 24).
The man touched the handle cover of an emergency exit door on an Air Busan flight that arrived at Gimhae International Airport at about 9.45am (8.45am, Singapore time) on Dec 17, while the aircraft was waiting on the tarmac after landing, reports said.
He was immediately stopped by a crew member.
The airline handed the man over to airport police. Busan Gangseo Police Station, which took over the case, is investigating him on suspicion of violating the Aviation Security Act.
During questioning, the man reportedly said he had only touched the cover playfully.
More than 10 similar incidents have been reported involving domestic airlines in the first half of 2025 alone, according to industry officials.
On Dec 4, a passenger was stopped after fiddling with an emergency exit door on a Korean Air flight from Incheon to Sydney.
When confronted by a crew member, the passenger brushed it off, saying he had touched it while waiting. In another case, a passenger touched an emergency exit door during a flight from Incheon to Xi’an, claiming to have mistaken it for a restroom door.
Under the Aviation Security Act, passengers who tamper with emergency exit doors or related equipment aboard aircraft can face up to 10 years in prison.
Courts, however, have so far been reluctant to impose jail sentences in such cases.
A proposed revision to the law, currently under review at the National Assembly, would allow fines of up to 100 million won (US$68,000) even for attempts to tamper with emergency exits or related devices. - The Korea Herald/ANN
