South Korean police said on Saturday that a man who opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight mid-flight felt “suffocated” and hurriedly wanted to leave.
On Friday, a domestic flight from Daegu International Airport, about 240 kilometres (149 miles) southeast of Seoul, arrived with nearly 200 passengers on board.
When the plane was about 200 metres (650 feet) above ground, a man in his 30s opened the exit door, according to police, who did not provide any further details.
The passenger was taken in by Daegu police for questioning and told officers he had been “under stress after losing a job recently”.
“He felt the flight was taking longer than it should have been and felt suffocated inside the cabin,” a Daegu police detective told AFP.
“He wanted out quickly”.
The passenger faces up to 10 years in prison for violating aviation safety laws.
A video clip shot by a nearby passenger showed wind ripping through the open door, with fabric seat-backs and passengers’ hair flapping wildly as some people shouted in surprise.
Another video shared on social media showed passengers sitting in the emergency exit row next to an open door being buffeted by strong winds.
A dozen passengers were taken to hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties but there were no major injuries or damage, according to the transport ministry.
“It was chaos with people close to the door appearing to faint one by one and flight attendants calling out for doctors on board,” a 44-year-old passenger told Yonhap.
“I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this.”
A transport ministry official told AFP that this was “the first such incident” they were aware of in Korean aviation history.
Experts say South Korea’s aviation industry has a solid safety record.