A man who opened the emergency door of an Asiana Airlines plane just before landing at an airport in South Korea has told police that he felt suffocated and wanted to get off the plane quickly.
The man, who has not been identified, was detained by police on Friday after the door of the Airbus A321 opened about 213 meters above ground right before it landed at the Daegu International Airport in Daegu, 237 km. southeast of Seoul.
The man told police that he had been under a lot of stress after losing his job recently and that he opened the door because he wanted to get off quickly after feeling suffocated.
None of the 194 people aboard the plane fell out or were hurt in the incident, but 12 panicked passengers showed symptoms of breathing difficulty and some of them were taken to a hospital.
The plane was on its way to Daegu after departing from the southern holiday island of Jeju.
Police plan to request an arrest warrant for the man for allegedly violating the aviation security law.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of emergency doors on airplanes. In 2015, a man opened an emergency door on a United Airlines flight in mid-air, causing the plane to depressurize and forcing an emergency landing.
Airlines have taken steps to make emergency doors more difficult to open, but it is still possible for someone to open them if they are determined to do so.
Passengers should be aware of the risks and take precautions to avoid opening emergency doors during a flight. If you feel suffocated, you should notify a flight attendant and ask for help. Do not try to open the emergency door yourself.
