South Korean police detained a woman at Incheon International Airport after she was accused of throwing a tantrum on a flight.
Sept. 11 (UPI) — South Korean police detained a woman at Incheon International Airport after she was accused of throwing a tantrum on a flight and splashing wine on a Korean Air flight attendant.
The South Korean woman who was described as being in her twenties was on a flight that had left Guangzhou, China, and was en route to South Korea, Yonhap reported.
Not long after takeoff at around 2: 40 pm on Sunday, the passenger became involved in a verbal argument with another passenger seated directly behind her, according to the report.
A flight attendant who arrived at the scene became a target when she attempted to intervene in the dispute.
The defendant said the argument began when the passenger behind her began kicking or hitting her seat.
But she denied allegations she splashed wine on the flight attendant, characterizing the described incident as a wine “spill.”
Statements from other passengers who witnessed the incident, and the targeted flight attendant, however, tell a different story.
According to police, they agreed the defendant attacked the Korean Air employee with the beverage in her hand.
Police also said the woman had consumed a bottle of wine at her hotel in China, prior to boarding her flight.
According to South Korean law, the woman is to receive a more serious level of punishment than a fine of $8,800.
She could be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison for creating turmoil in an airplane, Yonhap reported.
“The act of splashing wine is also a form of assault, ” police said, adding the defendant has been allowed to return home while investigation is ongoing.
