'Asiana Aircraft Emergency Door Opening' Man in 30s Also Guilty of Injury Charges

Daegu District Court Sentences 1 Year 6 Months Imprisonment and 2 Years Probation
Judges Considered Defendant's Diminished Mental Capacity During Crime

A man in his 30s who opened the aircraft door of a plane about to land, causing panic among passengers, was found guilty not only of the airline compensation order but also of injuring other passengers.

On the 8th, the Daegu District Court Criminal Division 10 (Presiding Judge Heo Jeong-in) sentenced Mr. A (32), who was charged with injury for opening the aircraft door of an Asiana Airlines flight 8124 from Jeju to Daegu preparing to land and injuring other passengers on board, to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation, according to Yonhap News Agency. The court also ordered Mr. A to perform 200 hours of community service, probation, and treatment for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

On May 26 last year, at around 12:37 p.m., Mr. A arbitrarily manipulated the emergency door locking device and opened the door on Asiana Airlines flight 8124 from Jeju to Daegu, which was preparing to land at an altitude of 700 to 800 feet (approximately 213 to 243 meters). At that time, there were 197 passengers on board. Due to Mr. A’s sudden action, 15 passengers, including a 14-year-old boy named B, suffered from acute anxiety and stress reactions with an unknown duration of treatment.

The court explained the sentencing by stating, "Although many victims, including minors, have reported mental trauma, proper victim recovery measures have not been taken. However, we considered that the defendant appeared to have committed the crime in a state of diminished mental capacity."

Earlier, in November last year, the court sentenced Mr. A to 3 years in prison with a 5-year probation for violating the Aviation Security Act and other charges. At that time, the court took into account the psychiatric evaluation results stating that "the defendant was in a state of diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime," but the prosecution appealed the first trial verdict.

Separately, in a civil trial last September, Mr. A was ordered to compensate Asiana Airlines approximately 720 million won for repair costs and other damages. On September 5, the Daegu District Court Civil Division 12 (Presiding Judge Chae Seong-ho) ruled in Asiana Airlines’ lawsuit against Mr. A, ordering "the defendant to pay the plaintiff 727,028,729 won."

At that time, due to Mr. A’s illegal opening of the aircraft emergency exit, the external emergency slide detached and three parts including the emergency door were damaged. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport estimated the repair cost to be about 640 million won. It was reported that Mr. A committed this act driven by an abnormal anxiety and restlessness, feeling an impulse to get out because he thought the aircraft might explode during landing.