Next unruly passengers may be 'stunned'

Flight attendants practice restraining an unruly passenger by using a Taser and ropes, at Korean Air’s training center in western Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap

Korean Air eases stun gun rules against in-flight violence

By Jung Min-ho

Korean Air will allow crewmembers to “readily use stun guns” to handle unruly passengers more effectively.

The country’s largest carrier said Tuesday that it will ease the rules on using stun guns and other forcible measures as part of taking a tougher stance on in-flight violence.

The measures come after an incident in which a drunk Korean man attacked flight attendants and other passengers on a Korean Air flight from Vietnam to Korea last week. It received wide publicity after American musician Richard Marx, who was on the same plane, criticized the company’s “ill-trained” crewmembers.

The company said its crewmembers were hesitant to use a Taser gun at the time because usage is only allowed when an unruly passenger’s actions clearly jeopardize the safety of other passengers or crewmembers.

With the upcoming rule change, crew will be allowed to use the devices immediately if an unruly passenger refuses to comply with verbal warnings. They will be instructed to use a Taser gun up close rather than at long range because it could also hurt other passengers nearby.

The company will also establish detailed standards to manage habitually unruly customers. “We are considering banning such customers from using our services. How long and under what circumstances will be determined later,” President Ji Chang-hoon told reporters.

The company also plans to hire more male flight attendants. For now, the ratio of men to women is 1 to 10, which Ji believes is too unbalanced.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of unlawful acts committed aboard Korean airplanes soared to 460 last year from 191 in 2012.

Meanwhile, the prosecution requested an arrest warrant for the man who caused the in-flight disturbances for violating aviation safety laws.

The charge, which is considered far more serious than causing an in-flight disturbance, could put him behind bars for up to five years.

The man, 34, surnamed Im, appeared for questioning by police, Monday, and apologized for his behavior but insisted he could not remember what happened in the plane because he was drunk.

He allegedly attacked and spat at four crew members, who were trying to keep him under control.

Given that he drank only two glasses of whisky before acting violently, he was suspected of being on illicit drugs; but his urine test came out negative. The National Forensic Service is now conducting more tests to confirm this result.