South Korean passenger given suspended sentence for exit-door attempt

A district court in Daegu, South Korea, has issued a ruling against a passenger who attempted to open an aircraft’s emergency exit during a flight, in a serious breach of aviation safety rules.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the incident occurred on Nov. 22, 2025, aboard a passenger aircraft operated by T’way Air, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Court records say the passenger, who was charged with violating the Aviation Safety Act, tried to lift the emergency exit door’s locking mechanism while the aircraft was at an altitude of about 11,300 meters (37,000 feet) above sea level.

The Daegu District Court sentenced the defendant to four months in prison. It suspended the sentence for two years and ordered the defendant to perform 80 hours of community service.

The panel said the defendant had tried to open the door only once and that the pressure difference during flight made it extremely unlikely the door could actually have opened. Taking these factors into account, the court concluded that the act posed a limited threat to overall flight safety and deemed a suspended sentence appropriate.