Man who opened Asiana Airlines plane door mid-flight ordered to pay S$683,400 to airline

The Asiana Airlines passenger who opened an emergency exit door mid-flight, which caused panic to erupt on board the plane on May 26, 2023, has been ordered to pay over 700 million won (S$683,400) in compensation to the airline.

The man, surnamed Lee, who was 32 when the incident occurred, caused the emergency escape slide to detach from the plane due to his actions.

The plane eventually landed at Daegu International Airport in Korea and resulted in at least 12 passengers being sent to hospital for breathing difficulties.

Court hearing to determine compensation amount

The Daegu District Court ordered the passenger to reimburse the airline 727 million won (S$683,400) on Sep. 8 for destruction and damage to property, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.

The hearing was to determine the amount of compensation to be awarded following the man's prosecution in an earlier trial, the Korea Herald reported.

What happened

The A321-200 plane was flying domestically from Jeju to Daegu.

The aircraft had 194 passengers on board.

Just before landing, Lee opened the emergency exit door when the plane was approximately 213m above ground, which is about 70 storeys high.

At the time of the incident, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport estimated there was 640 million won (S$626,000) in damages.

Arrested and went on trial

Two days after the incident, a court approved an arrest warrant for Lee.

Lee went on trial for violating the Aviation Security Act.

The prosecution initially sought a six-year sentence when Lee was first tried in October 2023.

The court eventually handed him a three-year sentence, suspended for five years, citing Lee's feeblemindedness.

A suspended sentence occurs when a judge can suspend or defer sentencing, resulting in the convicted person being exempted from being sentenced after a number of years from the time of being prosecuted.

The prosecution appealed the case.

They also additionally charged Lee for causing injury to 15 other passengers in March, stating the passengers were traumatised.

Top photos via Khaosod & Yonhap News Agency