Korean Passenger Calls Out Airline For Not Letting Them Board— Sparks Major Backlash

Recently, a video posted by a passenger criticizing an airline for not letting them board after they were six minutes late has garnered huge backlash online.

After posting the video, the passenger also posted a message: “Boarding closes 10 minutes before, but I was only five minutes late. The plane hasn’t even taken off yet, and it’s still at the door. The gate hasn’t even closed yet, and they won’t let me board. They wouldn’t open the door, and I’m not even in economy class.”

They then added that they had to pay a penalty and bought new tickets.

We paid a penalty of 200,000 KRW, a no-show penalty of 300,000 KRW, and 500,000 KRW per person for new tickets. The delay wasn’t caused by us boarding, so why are you asking us to pay the penalty when you closed the door instead of letting us on board? This is the worst.

In the video, she is seen demanding to be let on board.

비행기 탑승 시간 6분 늦어서 못타고 항의하는 사람…
당연히 안되는거 아닌가? pic.twitter.com/ixXACIjnkG

— MC호랭이 (@wiriness) September 6, 2025

Passenger: We are six minutes late, and the plane hasn’t departed yet, so let us on this once.

Agent: Go and talk to someone. We can’t do it. We need to get things done, so talk with the manager.

While the passenger posted it intending to criticize the airline, they received criticism instead.

• “People like this don’t show up on time for package tours, and they have no concept of time.”
• “Why do you think we have last call then? Please go early.”
• “So ignorant and shallow, it’s even shameless.”
• “Is their mindset, ‘How dare you not let me in when I am flying business?’”
• “Watch the actual video and see how they talk to the employee. If the video was posted, the comments here would have doubled.”
• “Why are they making a fuss when they are the ones who were late?”

The airline’s regulations state that international boarding closes 10 minutes before departure. However, a netizen who identified themselves as an airline employee stated, “The reason we close boarding 10 minutes early is because we’re constantly late, preventing us from taking off on time. Even though the plane is still connecting to the gate, it’s to complete paperwork for departure, not to wait for passengers.”