Korean Air to take zero-tolerance policy toward tampering with emergency exits

Korean Air said on Monday it will impose a zero-tolerance policy toward passengers who tamper with aircraft emergency exits, warning that it will pursue criminal charges and deny future boarding to ensure aviation safety.

A Korean Air plane takes off at Incheon International Airport on Sept. 10. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Korean Air said on Monday it will impose a zero-tolerance policy toward passengers who tamper with aircraft emergency exits, warning that it will pursue criminal charges and deny future boarding to ensure aviation safety.

The airline’s crackdown comes amid a series of recent incidents involving passengers who manipulated or attempted to manipulate emergency exit doors during flights.

There have been 14 such cases over the past two years on Korean Air's aircraft, according to the flag carrier.

On Dec. 4, a passenger on a Korean Air flight from Incheon to Sydney handled the emergency exit door handle shortly after takeoff. When cabin crew intervened, the passenger said they were touching it "just as a joke."

In another case in November, a passenger on a flight from Incheon to Xi’an, China, manipulated an emergency exit door during the flight and later claimed, “I thought it was the restroom.”

Tampering with a plane's emergency exit violates Korea’s Aviation Security Act. The law states that passengers must not manipulate aircraft doors, exits or equipment, or face up to 10 years in prison. Authorities say such actions can interfere with flight operations and pose serious risks to passenger safety.

In August of last year, a passenger who opened the cover of an emergency exit lever on a departing flight from Jeju, delaying the aircraft’s departure by more than an hour, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 80 hours of community service.

Korean Air said it will file criminal complaints against passengers who tamper with emergency exits during flight and consider lawsuits to recover damages tied to actual losses. The airline added that it will apply its zero-tolerance policy by restricting or banning such passengers from boarding its flights for a certain period, as part of efforts to reinforce aviation safety standards.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY LEE SU-JEONG [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]