South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that a court on Sunday issued an arrest warrant for a passenger who opened the door of an Asiana Airlines plane minutes before it landed at the airport in the northern city of Daegu.

The passenger, in his thirties, was arrested when an A321-200 landed last Friday after opening its door at an altitude of 213 meters, causing panic on board.

The Degu District Court issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of violating the Aviation Security Act and said he may try to flee before trial.

The warrant allows police to keep him in detention for a longer period. He was not charged during the hearing. Officials only refer to the passenger by his nickname "Lee."

Interestingly, Lee said he opened the door because he wanted to get off the plane quickly.

"I really feel sorry for the children," he told reporters as he was taken to court for Sunday's hearing, apparently referring to students on the plane who had been taken to hospital with breathing problems. A fire department official said they all came out about two hours later.

Yonhap said ASEANA had stopped selling tickets for the nearest seats to the Airbus A321-200 exits starting on Sunday.