'Do not open plane doors' warning mandated for planes in flight

South Korea's Transport Ministry said Tuesday it plans to revise its current ordinance on the operation of air transport, mandating an in-flight announcement reminding passengers not to open plane doors while in flight.

The revision aims to prevent reoccurrence of incidents like the one in May in which a man in his 30s opened the emergency exit of a plane operated by Asiana Airlines just minutes before it landed at Daegu International Airport. The incident was dubbed "two minutes of terror" by local media, and sparked concerns over aviation safety.

The revision not only reminds passengers that such actions are illegal, but also mandates airplanes to attach a visible warning sticker. Flight attendants are also required to undergo two hours of training annually to detect any passenger showing signs of abnormal behavior.

In the case of the aforementioned incident in Daegu, the culprit had allegedly suffered from extreme stress after losing both his job and girlfriend.

A pre-announcement about the revision is set to take place by Dec. 14, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The currently mandated announcements by airlines specifies against smoking, using electronic devices and disrupting flight attendants can be punished by criminal law.

South Korea's Aviation Security Act states that passengers disrupting the operation of an airplane by handling the passenger or emergency exits can be punished by up to 10 years in prison.

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