Korean Air Lines Allows Stun Gun Use By Crew Members To Subdue Violent Passengers Following Richard Marx’s Criticism

Korean Air crew members can use stun guns to manage in-flight disturbance, the airlines said Tuesday announcing new guidelines. The move came after American musician Richard Marx criticized the airline after a violent passenger on his flight created a ruckus and flight attendants were unable to control him.

“While U.S. carriers have taken stern action on violent on-board behavior following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 (2001), Asian carriers including us have not imposed tough standards because of Asian culture," Korean Air President Chi Chang-hoon said Tuesday. “We will use the latest incident to put safety foremost and strengthen our safety standards.”

The latest guidelines came after Marx called the Korean Air flight crew “ill-trained” for failing to subdue the violent male passenger — identified only by his surname Lim — on the Seoul-bound flight.

The 53-year-old “Right Here Waiting” singer was sitting near 34-year-old Lim, who began showing violent behavior after having two and a half shots of whisky. During the flight, which took off from Hanoi, he pulled a flight attendant’s hair and continued to exhibit anger while other attendants tired to tie him up with a rope. The incident is reported to have lasted four hours.

Marx issued a statement following the incident.

“My wife and I are safe but one crew member and two passengers were injured. The all-female crew was clueless and not trained as to how to restrain this psycho,” Marx wrote on Facebook. “Korean Air should be sanctioned for not knowing how to handle a situation like this without passenger interference.”

After the incident, Korean Air said it sent a thank-you letter to Marx’s management agency for helping the flight attendants to help control Lim.