Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
AirAsia passengers stranded at Incheon airport for 27 hours after technical errors
This photo, provided by a pessenger inside an AirAsia airplane, shows people stuck inside the aircraft at Incheon International Airport, Sunday. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
AirAsia passengers bound for Malaysia were stuck at Incheon International Airport for more than 27 hours due to technical malfunctions, government officials said on Sunday.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, its flight carrying 315 passengers had been initially scheduled to take off at 7:35 a.m., the previous day. But airline staff opened the boarding gate for passengers some 18 hours after an issue with its engine was rectified.
Just before leaving the airport, another technical error surfaced. Due to the protracted delay, the pilot permitted the passengers to leave the airplane at around 3:20 a.m., Sunday, and 50 of them did. After being stuck inside the plane for an additional seven-and-a-half hours, the remaining 265 people departed Incheon at 10:50 a.m. bound for Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
An official told reporters that the ministry has been checking whether the Malaysian airline complied properly with the guidelines regarding such issues and took appropriate measures for the passengers affected.