S. Korea to take criminal action against drunk pilots

SEOUL, June 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is pushing to take criminal action against pilots who report to work drunk and thus seriously endanger the safety of passengers aboard flights, the government said Thursday.
The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said it will unveil a revision to the country's aviation law on Friday for public comment, which will cover pilots and flight attendants employed by both local and foreign carriers operating from the country.
"Once the bill passes parliament, it should go into effect starting in 2012," a ministry official said.
The move comes as the ministry found two cases of pilots who reported to work drunk since last October, sparking safety concerns.
Under the revised law, the permissible blood alcohol level of pilots and flight attendants will be lowered from 0.04 percent to 0.03 percent, which is below the limits set by the United States.
Pilots who board planes drunk will face prison terms of less than two years or fines under 10 million won (US$9,200). The airline will also be fined 20 million won for failure to check the condition of its employees.
At present, a pilot may be banned from flying for 30 days if he or she is found to be intoxicated before taking control of a plane, but may not be legally prosecuted.
The penalties for drinking on the job upon boarding the plane will remain the same, with authorities permitted to file criminal charges that could lead to prison terms.
The changes, in addition, call for regional airport authorities to keep closer tabs on pilots' conditions. Currently the transportation ministry is in charge of ferreting out violators.
yonngong@yna.co.kr