"Surprise While Drinking Coffee on Board"... Substance Found After Removing Foreign Object

Victim Demanded Media Disclosure, but Only Received Medical Expenses and Discount Coupons as Compensation

It was revealed belatedly that coffee containing sharp glass shards was served to passengers on board.

On the 17th, Yonhap News reported the testimony of passenger A, who received the coffee. According to the report, A received the problematic coffee while returning to Incheon Airport on Korean Air flight from Guangzhou, China on the 1st.

While drinking iced coffee, A felt something foreign and spat out a sharp glass shard that appeared to be about 0.5cm long and 0.1cm thick, lodged between the teeth and lips. It was a dangerously close call.

It was revealed belatedly that coffee containing sharp glass shards was served to passengers on board. [Image source=Getty Images]

The flight attendant explained, "Upon inspection, the glass cup holding the coffee was broken." The informant said that not only they but also nearby passengers were very shocked. The flight attendant made A vomit all the food in case they had swallowed any glass shards.

A recalled, "I thought I was going to die while vomiting in the airplane restroom. Another passenger sitting next to me was very worried, and I kept retching for two days after returning home."

A's only request was for Korean Air to voluntarily disclose this incident to the media. They did not want any compensation or treatment. They believed that raising safety awareness was necessary, especially as the number of passengers increases ahead of the Chuseok and Hangul Day holidays.

However, Korean Air did not accept this request. The compensation offered by Korean Air was medical expenses and a 100,000 KRW electronic discount voucher.

A said, "The aircraft purser said it was a serious matter and would report it directly to the company, but there was no apology call from the airline afterward. I discovered the glass shard while sipping the coffee slowly, but if it had been a soft drink, I might have swallowed it in one gulp. As a warning, I sent a certified letter to the CEO of Korean Air pointing out the problem and urging countermeasures."

Korean Air stated, "This happened because the in-flight meal supplier failed to detect the defective glass cup during the final inspection stage before loading." They added, "We have requested employees involved in washing, drying, setting, and pre-loading inspection of glass cups to strengthen the inspection procedures." They also emphasized, "Flight attendants will visually recheck glass cups before beverage service to ensure thorough service."

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