South Korean comedian causes flight to be delayed by about an hour
South Korean comedian and television personality Park Soo-hong drew mixed reactions online after his family’s request to get off a Korean Air flight contributed to a delay of about an hour on 23 Aug.
Park had asked to disembark after his daughter would not stop crying, but his family ultimately remained on board after she calmed down.
The incident later sparked debate over whether Park had received preferential treatment because of his celebrity status.
Asked to get off flight after daughter began crying
Park and his family were on Korean Air flight KE415 from Incheon to Guam, where they were seated in business class.
According to Korean reports, his daughter became extremely distressed soon after boarding, prompting Park to tell the cabin crew that his family wanted to leave the aircraft.
Source: @happy_dahong on Instagram
The airline then began the necessary procedures, including unloading their checked baggage.
Before the family left the plane, however, the child calmed down, and Park told the crew they would stay on the flight instead.
By then, the baggage-handling process was already under way, contributing to the delay.
Source: @Insight_sua on X
Flight records cited by Korean media showed that KE415 was due to leave Incheon International Airport at 10.05am on 23 Aug, but departed at 11.15am, 1 hour and 10 minutes late.
The flight made up some time in the air, arriving in Guam at 4.06pm, 31 minutes after its scheduled arrival time of 3.35pm.
Apologises to passengers on board, draws mixed reactions online
Accounts from passengers on the same flight later surfaced online.
One passenger said Park appeared anxious and repeatedly apologised following the delay.
A video shared online also showed him bowing his head to nearby passengers inside the aircraft.
Source: @Insight_sua on X
Reactions to the incident were mixed.
Some expressed sympathy for Park, noting that he was travelling with a young child, while others questioned whether his family had received preferential treatment due to his celebrity status.
Source: @happy_dahong on Instagram
Park apologises over flight delay
As the controversy continued, Park posted an apology on Instagram on 26 Aug.
He acknowledged that his family’s actions had delayed the flight and apologised to passengers and airline staff for the inconvenience caused.
Source: @happy_dahong on Instagram
Park explained that he had been worried his daughter’s crying would disturb others during the long journey, and described his decision to request to disembark as a “poor judgement”.
He also admitted that he had not realised reversing the request could hold up procedures such as security checks, adding:
This happened entirely because of my lack of understanding of airline procedures, and there is no excuse for it.
Korean Air says Park did not receive preferential treatment
Following the backlash, Korean Air issued a statement addressing the incident and the claims of celebrity preferential treatment.
“When a passenger voluntarily requests to disembark, we respond in accordance with the relevant procedures and established principles,” the airline said. “This case was also handled according to those principles.”
Source: Ant Armada on Pexels, for illustration purposes only
The airline also clarified that Park and his family never actually left the aircraft.
It added that passengers may withdraw a request to disembark as long as they have not yet exited the plane, although reversing procedures already under way, such as baggage handling, can take additional time.
Korean Air therefore maintained that Park and his family were handled according to its standard procedures and had not been given special treatment because of his celebrity status.
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Featured image adapted from @happy_dahong on Instagram and @Insight_sua on X.
