‘Do not open plane doors’ warning in South Korea mandated for planes in flight

SEOUL – South Korea plans to revise its current ordinance on the operation of air transport such as mandating an in-flight announcement which reminds passengers not to open plane doors while in flight, said the country’s Transport Ministry on Nov 28.

A pre-announcement about the revision is set to take place by Dec 14, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The revision aims to prevent reoccurrences of incidents such as one in May, when a man in his 30s opened the emergency exit of a plane operated by Asiana Airlines, just minutes before it landed at Daegu International Airport.

The man allegedly suffered from extreme stress after losing both his job and girlfriend.

The incident was dubbed “two minutes of terror” by local media, and sparked concerns over aviation safety.

The revision not only reminds passengers that such actions are illegal, but also mandates planes to attach a visible warning sticker.

Flight attendants are also required to undergo two hours of training annually to detect any passenger showing signs of abnormal behaviour.

Currently, the airlines’ mandated announcements specifies against smoking, using electronic devices and disrupting flight attendants can be punished by criminal law.

South Korea’s Aviation Security Act states that passengers disrupting the operation of a plane by handling the passenger or emergency exits can be punished by up to 10 years in prison. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK