Bare feet over seatback on LA-bound flight draw online criticism in South Korea
In short
A social media user posted a photo and account of a passenger who stretched bare feet over the seatback in front of them on a flight to Los Angeles, saying it happened in the seat directly beside them. The writer said flight attendants walked past without intervening, and commenters criticised the behaviour.
Read the full story 1 min read
A social media post showing a passenger stretching bare feet over the seatback in front of them on a flight to Los Angeles has drawn criticism online, according to accounts published by the Dong-A Ilbo and Maeil Business. Both outlets reported on Oct. 5 that a social media user posted a photo and a written account of the scene on board the aircraft. [ 2 , 3 ]
The writer said they had flown many times but had never seen such behaviour directly beside them, asking why the passenger kept wriggling their toes. They said a passenger might need to stretch their legs on a long flight, but that someone sitting next to others should at least ask for their understanding, noting the seat in front was empty. [ 2 , 3 ]
The writer also said flight attendants walked past without stopping the passenger, and that when the writer turned around the passenger looked back and took no notice, Maeil Business reported. Commenters quoted by Maeil Business said the scene seemed to smell and that they could not understand such behaviour without asking permission; the Dong-A Ilbo reported criticism pouring out online. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The episode is a viral social media story about in-flight manners rather than a policy or safety matter, and the coverage rests largely on one passenger's post. It illustrates how quickly online posts about conduct in shared spaces become public criticism in South Korea, but the documents give no indication of any airline response or rule change.
Key facts
- A social media user posted a photo and written account on Oct. 5 of a passenger with bare feet stretched over the seatback in front of them on a flight to Los Angeles. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The writer said they had flown many times but had never seen such behaviour from the seat directly beside them. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The writer said the passenger kept wriggling their toes and that they should at least have asked nearby passengers for understanding. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The writer said flight attendants walked past without stopping the passenger and took no notice when the writer turned around. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Commenters quoted by Maeil Business said the scene seemed to smell and that they could not understand behaviour without asking permission. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A social media post on Oct. 5 showed a passenger with bare feet over the seatback in front on a flight to Los Angeles. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The writer said they had never seen such behaviour directly beside them despite flying often. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The writer said flight attendants passed by without intervening. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Which airline operated the flight, where it departed from and when it took place. The documents describe only a flight to Los Angeles and do not name the carrier, origin or travel date.
- Whether the passenger was asked to stop or faced any consequence. The documents give only the writer's account of the flight attendants' inaction; no airline statement appears.
- Newsis carried the same headline, but the article text available for it concerns a Supreme Court audit instead of this event. The body text does not match the headline in that document, so it could not be used for specifics.