Broadcaster Park Su-hong has issued a public apology after allegations spread that his family caused a delay on an international flight by reversing a decision to disembark. Korean Air, meanwhile, pushed back against suggestions that the airline had given the celebrity preferential treatment, saying it followed standard procedures throughout.
Park posted the apology on his Instagram on Wednesday.
"During a recent departure, a delay occurred because of my family, causing great inconvenience to many passengers by taking up their precious time, and also causing trouble for airline staff," Park said. "I bow my head and sincerely apologize."
He said the situation arose after his daughter would not stop crying from the moment they boarded, leaving him flustered. "I told a cabin crew member that we would disembark, thinking that her crying throughout the long flight would cause even greater inconvenience to other passengers," he wrote.
Park added that his daughter stopped crying while the family waited on board, prompting him to say they would stay after all. "I failed to realize that this could cause significant delays due to security re-screening and other procedures," he said. "This happened entirely because of my ignorance of aviation-related procedures, and there is no excuse whatsoever."
The incident drew questions from some quarters about whether the airline had extended special treatment to a celebrity. Korean Air said it had not.
"When a passenger voluntarily requests to disembark, we follow procedures by the book," the airline said in an official statement. "We handled this case in exactly the same way."
The incident began Sunday, when Park and his family boarded a Korean Air business-class flight from Incheon International Airport to Guam. According to fellow passengers, Park informed crew that his family would leave the plane after his daughter would not stop crying.
Checked baggage was offloaded from the aircraft, but Park then reversed the decision to disembark, causing a departure delay of about one hour. The episode sparked debate over both Park's conduct and whether the airline had handled the situation appropriately.
Park's actions, however, do not appear to constitute a prohibited act under the Aviation Security Act.
Under the act, when a passenger voluntarily requests to disembark, the airline must halt the flight through air traffic control and carry out security re-screening of all passengers on board.
Park married Kim Da-ye in 2021. The couple welcomed a daughter, Jaei, in 2024 through in vitro fertilization.
yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com
