Man Opens Flight’s Emergency Door Mid-Air in South Korea

A harrowing incident, an emergency exit door was opened by a passenger onboard the Asiana Airlines flight.

A man in his 30s has been arrested for opening the emergency door of an Asiana Airlines flight on 19th May 2023 on a flight from Jeju Island to Daegu International Airport in South Korea. At about 11:45 am, South Korea time, when the flight was about to land at Daegu International airport, the man opened the emergency door. All 194 passengers survived and the flight landed safely but with its door still open. However, some passengers fainted while others had breathing problems and were taken to hospital. The man was arrested upon landing. Witnesses told local media that the man had also tried to jump out of the plane after opening the door. A passenger's video shared on social media shows the gap in the left side of the plane and winds buffeting rows of seated passengers. The person recording the clip finds it difficult to continue documenting the turn of events as the camera shakes violently. Flight attendants had not been able to stop him because the plane was about to land.

They also mentioned that the emergency door opened easily because the pressure on the inside and outside was the same since the plane was just 2-3 minutes away from landing. A passenger said, "It was chaos with people close to the door appearing to faint one by one and flight attendants calling out for doctors on board through broadcasting. I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this.” Several school age children were also on board, on their way to a weekend sporting event. The mother of one of the students said, "The children were shaking, crying, and frightened." Police said the suspect had so far not given any explanation for his actions, nor was he drunk at the point of his arrest. The police said, "It is difficult to have a normal conversation with him. We will investigate the motive of the crime and punish him."

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