South Korea Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Man Who Opened Plane Door Mid-Air

A court in South Korea has reportedly issued an arrest warrant for the man aboard an Asiana Airlines flight who opened the plane door mid-air. The man was charged with violating the Aviation Security Act.

South Korea’s Yonhap reported on Sunday that the Daegu District Court issued an arrest warrant for the man who opened the plane door of an Asiana Airlines flight mid-air minutes before landing in Daegu. The man was charged with violating South Korea’s Aviation Security Act, and the warrant would allow authorities to keep the man in custody longer, as the court said the man may attempt to flee before the trial.

The man, who was referred to as Lee, said he opened the plane door as he wanted to get off the flight quickly. The man also said he “felt sorry” for the students who were also on the flight and were taken to the hospital for breathing issues. An official from the South Korean fire department said the students were discharged after around two hours.

Lee was detained on Friday last week for opening the plane door when the aircraft was around 700 feet above the ground, causing passengers to panic.

Following the incident, Yonhap reported that Asiana stopped the sales of seats that were closest to the exit of the airline’s A321-200 Airbus model.

Aside from wanting to get off the plane quickly, the man told authorities that he opened the door out of stress from losing his job. Former Korean Air cabin safety official Jin Seong-hyun said that the incident was unprecedented but noted that passengers had opened emergency exits without authorization while the planes were on the ground.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is set to meet with Pacific Island leaders in Seoul on Monday for the third summit in a week as the region is looking to take stronger action to combat climate change as the issue is placed front and center. Australian defense minister Richard Marles will be attending the summit, according to his office on Saturday, saying that it would underline cooperation between the 18 members of the Pacific Island Forum and South Korea for regional security.

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