South Korea court approves warrant to arrest man who opened plane emergency exit door

During a preliminary questioning, the 33-year-old told investigators that he felt suffocated and tried to get off the plane quickly, according to police.

On Sunday, a District Court in Daegu approved a warrant to formally arrest the man. Police earlier sought the arrest warrant, citing the graveness of the crime and a possibility the man may flee, according to Daegu police.

Twelve people were slightly injured on Friday after the man opened the door of the Asiana Airlines Airbus A321-200, causing air to blast inside the cabin and terrifying passengers. Some testified they suffered severe ear pain and saw others screaming and crying. A video shared on social media shows passengers’ hair being whipped by air blowing into the cabin.

Normally, the emergency exit doors cannot be opened mid-flight due to the difference in air pressure inside and outside the aircraft. But during Friday’s incident, the man succeeded in opening the door, probably because the plane was flying at a low altitude while preparing to land and there was not much difference in pressure, according to Asiana Airlines officials.

The Transport Ministry said the plane was at 700ft (213 metres) when the man pulled the door open. The plane was preparing to land in Daegu on an hour-long flight from the southern island of Jeju with 200 people on board. They included teenage athletes on their way to a track and field competition, according to Asiana Airlines.

“I wanted to get off the plane soon,” the man, whose face was covered by a black hoodie, a cap and a mask, told reporters at the court ahead of its review of his arrest warrant. “I’m really sorry to kids,” he said, in a likely reference to the teenage athletes.