Unruly passengers to be fined up to W5 mil.

By Lee Kyung-min

Unruly passengers are to behave unless they have 5 million won ($4,400) in their pocket.

This law comes after a POSCO Energy vice president slapped a flight attendant’s face with a magazine, and was stripped of his position.

The lawmakers are deliberating about a law which punishes harrying behavior on flight, according to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The revised addition to the existing law is to ensure other passengers' safety, it added.

The clause, “Hampering the duty of flight attendants by force or hierarchy” is added.

The other clauses are: causing noise to the extent of other's discomfort, smoking, drinking and causing a scene, sexual molestation, using electrical devices, and trying to get in the pilot room without permission.

Violence against flight attendants is punishable with as much as five years in jail.

The stipulations are clear, but it has been hard to apply unless the assailant actually causes major harm against flying, an official from the ministry said.

From June, a new task force will collect facts from actual cases and come up with measures to deal with such situations, he added.