Was the man who opened the door to the Asiana aircraft mid-flight identified as a pro-North Korea leftist? No, that's not true: There have been no reports on the suspect's political leanings or intentions other than that he "felt suffocated" and "wanted to get off. The assertion lacks evidence and is a baseless conspiracy.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) which was published on Tiktok by @topsecret71004 on May 31, 2023, with the caption:
What was the motive behind the Asiana aircraft that could have been the second Sewol tragedy?
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Jun 2 09:33:20 2023 UTC)
In the video, the narration casts doubt on the intentions of the person, whom it describes as a "pro-North Korea leftist," and his attempt to cause "another Sewol tragedy." The incident in question happened in the afternoon of May 26, 2023, when a man opened the emergency exit of an aircraft en route to Daegu from Jeju shortly before it landed. The video was taken by a passenger aboard the aircraft.
The AI-generated narration, calling itself an "AI reporter," alleges that the incident was orchestrated as part of a larger scheme to prompt the resignation of the incumbent president, Yoon Seok-yeol, and influence the 2024 South Korean legislative election. The narrator further claims that similar attempts to use catastrophes to agitate the public have proven unsuccessful in the past.
There is no report that supports such claims.
After the aircraft landed, a 33-year-old man was identified as the suspect, because he had asked an Asiana Airlines employee whether it is illegal to open the emergency exit. He was taken to a police station in Daegu for questioning.
On May 27, 2023, he confessed to opening the door and told the police that he was "under stress from losing his job recently" and "felt suffocated before the plane's landing and wanted to get off."
According to the Economist, his mother, who arrived at the police station following his arrest, revealed that her son had also recently experienced a breakup with his girlfriend.
The man was arrested for violating the Aviation Security Act and promptly sent to Daegu Detention Center.
