A Korean Air flight from Bangkok to Seoul took an unsettling turn when a passenger reportedly tried to open an emergency exit mid-flight. The incident unfolded around an hour after takeoff where a male passenger seated at a crew jump seat by the emergency exit attempted to turn the exit door handle.

The flight, Korean Air 658, was traveling at cruising altitude, approximately 37,000 feet. Flight attendants intervened swiftly. They asked the passenger to return to his assigned seat. He refused, escalating to verbal aggression and threats. The cabin crew issued several warnings, but when the man persisted, they quickly restrained him under the captain’s authority and moved him to a secure area to ensure the safety of everyone on board.

The Korean Air flight proceeded without diverting, arriving on time at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, where the passenger was handed over to authorities. According to Korean Air,

Upon crew intervention requesting his return to the assigned seat, the passenger exhibited non-compliant behaviour, including verbal aggression and threatening movements toward crew members while attempting to access the emergency exit area.

Following standard security protocols, the cabin crew issued multiple warnings. Under the captain’s authority, restraint measures were implemented, and the passenger was relocated to a secure area where the situation was successfully de-escalated.

The incident was managed according to our established security protocols, to prioritise passenger safety and operational integrity. While the situation was successfully contained, we will cooperate with relevant authorities in the investigation of this matter.

Passenger arrested after attempting to open an exit door on board Korean Air flight KE658.

In a statement Korean Air said a foreign male passenger was overwhelmed by crew and passengers on flight KE658 while flying between Bangkok and Seoul.

The passenger sat in a crew-only… pic.twitter.com/ARktP1DCYv

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Just two days ago I wrote about a passenger restrained by crew and other flyers on Copa Airlines after attempting to open an emergency exit door approximately 30 minutes prior to arrival. He was reportedly brandishing a plastic knife taken from his meal tray.

While pressurization prevents aircraft doors from opening midflight as in this case, they can still be opened at low altitude. In February, for instance, a passenger tried to open an exit door on an American Airlines flight from Albuquerque to Chicago. Then in March a flight attendant thwarted a drunk passenger’s attempt to open an emergency exit in China. Last year a passenger actually succeeded in getting the door open of an Asiana flight since they were just 800 feet from landing.