Article from Yonhap News:
Former female model passenger burnt when crew member spilled ramyeon, lawsuit battle ensues
An Asiana Airlines passenger who claims she sustained a severe burns due to ramyeon spilled by the cabin crew is suing Asiana and the crew member for 200 million KRW [appx 170,000 USD] in damages.
On the 26th, according to a source in the airline industry, Jang, a former model also working in the baking industry in her mid 30s, requested ramyeon during her 1st class flight from Incheon to Paris on March 17th last year.
After the ramyeon was cooked, cabin crew member Ms. A, passed it from the aisle to the window seat tray where Jang was sitting, and spilled boiling water on Jang’s lower body two times.
Jang asserts that the plane was unstable at that moment, causing the crew member to lose her balance and spill the ramyeon.
Jang sustained second and third-degree burns from the lower abdomen down to her inner thighs and other areas. It was determined that she would not be able to heal completely for the next 10 years or more even in the case of a skin transplant.
Jang added, “I asked them to check if there was a doctor on board but they did not follow up on my request, and since neither gauze for burns nor a first-aid kit was available until we reached Paris, I had to insist on ointment and an ice pack to be applied on the burn, and I also asked if they had a few pills of Tylenol”.
Jang said she was not only physically hurt, but also suffered enormously due to post-traumatic stress, she said.
Jang further said, “since outer beauty was one of my strengths, I had the intention to continue broadcasting work in the fashion and hair design industry, but with an extremely unsightly burn, now this has become impossible” and added, “with the bakery business operating ovens at temperatures close to 800 degrees Celsius, I feel too anxious and I cannot work now.”
Beyond this, suffering from a thyroid disorder, Jang has been preparing for pregnancy since early last year and was doing hormone therapy. Now that she is sustaining burns even in her sexual organs, it has become difficult to have normal sexual intercourse and it will be dangerous for her to become pregnant or to give birth.
To date, Asiana Airlines has paid for more than 24 million KRW of treatment and has agreed to pay in the future more than 36 million won, totaling 61.26 million KRW.
Jang said, “I wanted a sincere apology and action from Asiana but on the contrary they acted like I was responsible”. More recently Seoul Eastern District Court added that a complaint was filed and that, “Asiana Airlines and Ms A are conjointly required to pay 20 million KRW”. The amount is expected to increase as the lawsuit progresses.
According to Asiana Airlines, “Jang mistakenly spilled the the ramyeon cup while she took it from the tray” and, “according to the instructions of a doctor on board, mineral water was applied to disinfect the burns and medicine was also applied and other appropriate emergency measures were taken.”
In addition, they said, “compared to on the ground, the water in the plane is boiled at a much lower temperature. There are some questions arising over the claim that the water was boiling at too high a temperature.”
On this, Jang’s lawyer insisted that, “Ms. A’s statements are different from the truth so she can avoid responsibility” and stressed that, “according to the Montreal Convention, Asiana Airlines cannot avoid their strict liability”.
The International Air Transportation Association (IATA) Montreal Convention states clearly that the carrier under strict liability for any physical or psychological incident with a passenger is limited to a maximum of 180 million KRW per passenger.
Comments from Naver:
wlgy****
Even if it weren’t a model who sustained this kind of injury it must be quite hard…if you compare the claimed amount to the sustained injury it seems quite small.
jdry****
From now on she can’t work and she can’t have a baby… but she should settle for 60 million won? If I were her I wouldn’t be able to get over this
dhch****
You never know when there could be turbulence and the plane could start shaking, and you spread the smell of ramyeon all over the plane. I really don’t know why you would want to pig out on ramyeon when it’s also so dangerous to serve.
ding****
Now I really cannot believe people. We don’t know who is saying the truth. We saw how people were lying shamelessly in “I Want to Know The Truth”.
z294****
They are making excuses. Poor lady~
hida****
Remove the ramyeon from the menu… It smells and it’s dangerous tsk tsk
kmu1****
But why do they have to offer ramyeon?? Couldn’t they just remove it from the menu?
siri****
It’s really dangerous to offer ramyeon inside an airplane…. When the airplane is shaking, wouldn’t it have already have spilled all over someone’s face?
pret****
Is it really possible to get burnt that badly with ramyeon?
cgh6****
On the bus or the plane, isn’t it dangerous to serve ramyeon? It shows a serious lack of safety awareness.
hell****
I thought 20 million won was a lot but maybe not…. From now on it would be better not to serve very hot food inside the plane.
xcvb****
Poor passenger but also poor flight attendant even if she did not do it on purpose… It would be good not to serve very hot things in the plane… For something like coffee too, not giving it in a mug but in a take-out cup would be better.
acn2****
Why would you eat ramyeon in business class? And have the ramyeon removed from the menu, it’s difficult for the attendants too.
cl11****
The compensation for the victim should be adequate. But if you insist on eating ramyeon in an air-locked space, do it reasonably. Think about others.
2000****
The fact that the quality of service has dropped in Asiana seems to be the truth. 2 months ago, I requested a glass of water during my flight from Incheon to San Fransisco and received a scary expression in return. I really wanted to ask why I had to pay so much to receive this kind of treatment. If you never did anything in your life for others and you have only heard nice things and receive a nice salary and become a stewardess, its not only tough for yourself, but it is also hard on the customer. They should find only appropriate people to work in the service industry.
