40-Year-Old Detained for Verbal Abuse and Disturbance Toward Parents of Crying Baby on Airplane

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A man in his 40s who verbally abused and spat at a baby's father on an airplane, complaining about the noise when the baby cried, has been arrested.

The Jeju Western Police Station announced on the 29th that they have arrested Mr. A (46) on charges of verbal abuse and spitting at the baby's father on a flight to Jeju (violations of the Aviation Security Act including assault and injury on an aircraft).

Mr. A is accused of repeatedly verbally abusing the baby's father on an Air Busan flight departing from Gimpo Airport to Jeju on the 14th, saying things like, "If your kid is not disciplined, don't come! If you are not confident, don't have a kid! You XX," after a baby just over one year old started crying, complaining about the noise and standing up from his seat.

Despite the flight attendants' attempts to intervene, Mr. A is also accused of removing his mask, spitting in the baby's father's face, and grabbing his collar, causing injury. The victim is understood to have sustained injuries requiring two weeks of medical treatment.

During the police investigation, Mr. A denied spitting and grabbing the victim's collar, but the police applied charges of assault on the aircraft based on witness statements and other evidence.

In the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated, "I paid extra to sit in a comfortable seat, but when the baby cried, I became dissatisfied," and "When I expressed my dissatisfaction, the victim said, 'Let's see each other after getting off the plane,' and I felt threatened by this remark."

The victim's side reportedly testified, "I said let's talk after getting off the plane because causing a disturbance on the aircraft would harm other passengers."

A police official said, "Assaulting another passenger and causing a disturbance on a flight in operation is a serious crime that threatens safe operation, and this incident has caused public outrage and is a condemnable criminal act," adding, "The court issued an arrest warrant due to concerns about flight risk and evidence destruction." According to Article 46 of the Aviation Security Act (Assault on Aircraft), a person who assaults another on an aircraft can be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.