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Man stopped from boarding flight after police alerted of assisted suicide attempt

Published: 10 Feb. 2026, 13:12 Updated: 10 Feb. 2026, 18:14

A screen displaying departure times at Incheon International Airport is pictured on Jan. 14 in this file photo unrelated to the story. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

A man was stopped from boarding an international flight on Monday after his family alerted authorities that he was attempting to travel abroad to seek assisted suicide, according to police.

The man's family made a report to police at around 9:30 a.m. on Monday, saying that he "is trying to leave the country to end his life," the Incheon International Airport Police Corps said on Tuesday.

The man had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and was scheduled to depart at 12:05 p.m. on Monday on a flight bound for Paris.

Police approached the man at around 10 a.m. before departure. He told officers “my health is not good, so I wanted to take one last trip,” and police initially allowed him to proceed, offcials said.

At around 11:50 a.m., the family contacted police again, saying they had found a letter written in the form of a will.

Police then took emergency measures to delay the aircraft’s takeoff, removed the man from the plane and conducted a prolonged interview before handing him over to his family.

Authorities believe the man planned to travel from Paris to Switzerland, where assisted suicide is permitted under limited conditions, including for foreign nationals. In Switzerland, euthanasia in which a physician directly administers lethal drugs is illegal. Assisted suicide, however, has been allowed since 1942 as long as there is no profit motive and the person seeking death is judged to be mentally competent.

"After the letter was discovered, we delayed the flight as an emergency measure and carried out an in-depth interview," a police official said. "An officer of a similar age spoke with him at length, which allowed us to prevent his departure."

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]