More than 2,500 passengers have violated South Korea's Aviation Security Act over the past five years or so, with in-flight smoking accounting for three-quarters of all cases and unauthorized tampering with aircraft doors rising sharply, according to government data.
Smoking Cases Alone Reach 1,955
Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party said on Oct. 1 that data submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport showed 2,557 violations of passenger compliance obligations under Article 23 of the Aviation Security Act between 2021 and August of this year.
Violations under the law range from using abusive language or causing disturbances on board to smoking, dangerous conduct after drinking and behavior causing sexual humiliation. Tampering with doors, emergency exits and onboard equipment, or refusing to follow lawful instructions from crew members, also falls under the law.
Annual cases rose more than threefold from 86 in 2021 to 279 in 2022, then climbed to 566 in 2023. The total peaked at 669 in 2024, and 616 cases were confirmed last year. So far this year, 341 cases have been identified through August.
Hwang's office said violations surged roughly sixfold over four years, from 2021 to 2025, as air operations normalized following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In-flight smoking was by far the largest category, with 1,955 cases, or 76.5% of the total. That means more than seven of every 10 cases involved passengers caught secretly smoking on board.
Disturbances including verbal abuse accounted for 221 cases, or 8.6%, while obstruction of or threats against aviation security screeners and access control staff totaled 105 cases, or 4.1%. Behavior causing sexual humiliation accounted for 101 cases, or 4.0%, and unauthorized operation of doors, emergency exits and equipment reached 63 cases, or 2.5%.
Door and Exit Tampering Up More Than Fivefold in Two Years
The steepest increase came in cases involving doors, emergency exits and equipment — conduct that can pose a direct threat to flight safety.
No such cases were recorded in 2021 or 2022. Five were confirmed for the first time in 2023, rising to 15 in 2024 and 28 last year. The trend is notable because it points to a rise in conduct that can affect flight operations themselves, rather than simply breaching order in the cabin.
Among domestic carriers, Korean Air accounted for the largest share at 1,032 cases. Asiana Airlines followed with 453, Trinity Airways with 211, Air Busan with 182, Jin Air with 179 and Jeju Air with 138.
"Violations of the Aviation Security Act are serious crimes that threaten aviation safety, which is directly tied to the lives of hundreds of passengers, and they require punishment," Hwang said. "Effective legal and institutional measures are urgently needed to secure cabin safety, protect crew members and passengers, and prevent recurrence."
