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Man arrested for in-flight violence

Dec. 29, 2016 - 19:02 By 임정요
Police arrested a South Korean man Thursday on charges of violating aviation security laws and assault after allegedly engaging in in-flight violence earlier this month, police said.

Earlier on Thursday, the Incheon District Court issued an arrest warrant for him after holding a hearing on the legality of the arrest warrant, citing he may be a flight risk.

The warrant was served to 34-year-old Lim Beom-joon, who allegedly hit a passenger in the face and assaulted flight attendants while aboard a Korean Air flight that departed from Hanoi at 2:20 p.m. on Dec. 20 and was scheduled to arrive at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, at 6:35 p.m. the same day.

During the two-hour commotion, Lim allegedly slapped four flight attendants in the face and stomach as they were trying to bind him with a rope. The unruly man also spat at a Korean Air aircraft mechanic who happened to be aboard the flight and tried to restrain him.

Other passengers, including American pop singer Richard Marx, helped overpower the unruly passenger, who is known to have consumed 2 1/2 shots of liquor and got drunk during the flight. He is the son of the chairman of a Seoul-based trading company.

Photographs of the violence were posted by the 53-year-old singer and his wife, Daisy Fuentes, on the photo and video sharing website Instagram.

Under related laws, Lim could face up to five years in prison for his acts that put airplane navigation in jeopardy. (Yonhap)