▲ In this file photo, a teenager accused of attempting to open a plane door mid-flight enters the Incheon District Court in Incheon, west of Seoul, on June 20, 2023, to attend his arrest warrant hearing. (Yonhap)

Jeju Air incident-prosecutors

Teenager sent for drug addiction evaluation over attempt to open plane door mid-flight

INCHEON, July 11 (Yonhap) -- A teenager accused of attempting to open a plane door during flight last month has been sent to a psychiatric facility over suspicions of drug addiction, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The 18-year-old, whose identity was withheld, was arrested for trying to open an emergency door on a Jeju Air flight heading to Incheon International Airport from Cebu of the Philippines on June 19, with about 180 passengers on board.

He was charged with violating the Aviation Security Act and the Narcotics Control Act.

After taking over the case from police, the Incheon District Prosecutor's Office referred the suspect to the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry in Gongju, 125 kilometers south of Seoul, to be checked for possible drug addiction, and mental and physical disorders.

After analyzing his smartphone and tablet PC, prosecutors found evidence of a drug-related search record and indications that the suspect had complained of symptoms of anxiety to his acquaintances from a year ago.

The prosecution plans to put together the results of the investigation and expert analysis to carry out the punishment corresponding to the crimes.

During police questioning, the suspect admitted to taking drugs with six locals at a hotel in the Philippines, two days before boarding the plane.

The police have requested the National Forensic Service to conduct a thorough analysis to determine the specific types of drugs involved and the frequency of his drug use, after he tested positive for illegal drugs in the investigation process.

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