A 19-year-old Korean man was lassoed and restrained after he tried to open a plane door mid-flight after complaining about pressure on his chest. The passenger boarded a Jeju Airlines flight to Seoul from the Philippines.
According to a CNN report, the man started acting strangely about an hour into the flight. Jeju Airlines officials told the media outlet that the man was moved to the front row of the plane close to the exit door where staff could monitor him.
Soon after moving seats, he charged towards the emergency door and tried to open it. "[He was] immediately subdued by the crew, who used a lasso rope and tied wraps to keep him controlled for the rest of the flight," the airline said in a statement.
Officials added that no passenger or airplane equipment was harmed during the incident.
The passenger was handed over to police at Seoul's Incheon Airport at 7.30 am after the plane landed on Monday, June 19. The police conducted a simple drug test with the consent of the man, he tested positive for drugs.
An arrest warrant was issued for the passenger and he is accused of violating the Aviation Security Act, police told CNN.
While speaking to the media, the man said that he felt like he was being attacked.
A similar incident took place last month, a man in the United States was arrested for allegedly opening an emergency exit door aboard a plane and causing its emergency slide to be activated moments before it was set to take off.
The unidentified man was on a Delta Airlines flight heading towards Seattle.
