Lee Yoon-jun was "scared to death" when the person sitting next to him opened the emergency exit of an Asiana Airlines plane at an altitude of 200 meters in late May.
Lee Yoon-jun sat next to a 33-year-old male passenger surnamed Lee on an Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 as it was landing at Daegu Airport on May 26. He was watching YouTube on his phone when the emergency exit door opened and a gust of wind blew his hat and headphones off, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Lee Yoon-jun, a passenger on an Asiana Airlines flight on May 26. Photo: CNN
"I felt a terrible death coming. This was the end of my life," he said, recalling the experience on the less than 60-minute flight from Jeju to Daegu.
"In disaster movies, people usually die when the door opens in mid-air. I wondered what I had done wrong in my life. I had a lot of thoughts in that short period of time," he said.
Lee Yoon-jun looked up and saw that the emergency exit was now filled with clouds. The plane was landing, but it was still more than 200 meters above the ground. He glanced at the person sitting next to him and noticed that he "looked nervous" and that they were both "trembling with fear."
"When I looked down, I saw his legs swinging in the wind," he said.
However, Lee Yoon-jun did not know at that time that the passenger sitting next to him was responsible. He did not see him open the door and thought it was a technical problem.
But as the plane touched the ground, the man next to him appeared to try to jump off the plane, which was still moving on the runway. Lee Yoon-jun assumed he was panicking.
"As I looked toward the flight attendant, I heard the person next to me unbuckle his seat belt and realized he was leaning toward the emergency exit," he recalled.
Lee Yoon-jun stopped him and other passengers when the flight attendant called out. Only then did he understand what had happened. Police arrested Lee on charges of violating aviation security laws.
During questioning, Lee said he opened the plane door because he "felt stuffy" and wanted to get off quickly. He also said he was "under a lot of pressure because he had just lost his job."
Lee Yoon-jun thought back and realized that he felt uncomfortable sitting next to him throughout the flight. "From the moment he boarded the plane, he was lethargic and exuded a tired energy. He seemed dark, restless, kept looking around and acted strangely."
Asiana Airlines plane emergency exit door opened while landing on May 26. Video : BNO News
None of the 194 passengers were injured, but nine people were taken to hospital with breathing difficulties and have since been released. The investigation is ongoing, Asiana Airlines said.
Lee Yoon-jun said he had not heard from Asiana Airlines since the incident, but felt he had been given a second chance at life.
"I feel like I've been reborn, trying to live more happily and do more interesting things. I'm enjoying this feeling," he said, revealing that he felt happy to be considered a hero for stopping Lee from jumping off the plane.
"I suddenly became a celebrity in an instant. Whenever I'm with friends, I joke that I'm a celebrity now," Lee Yoon-jun said.
Hong Hanh (According to CNN )
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