The South Korean company Asiana Airlines has declared that it will no longer sell tickets to passengers for seats located near the emergency exit aboard the A-321/200 aircraft. It is a decision that comes following a recent incident involving a harassing passenger who attempted to open the plane's door while the latter was in flight.

"This measure is a safety precaution and applies even if the flight is full", the airline said in a statement. The press release specifies that seats number 26A (on the 174-seat A-321) and number 31A (on the 195-seat A-321) will no longer be bookable. 

The decision came after a passenger opened the plane's emergency door on Friday May 26, terrifying the other travellers, shortly before landing at Daegu airport. Police later arrested the man, who defended himself by saying he was very "stressed out" after losing his job and that he "felt suffocated" and wanted to get off the aircraft quickly, the "Yonhap" national news agency reported it.