In South Korea, a labor court has ruled that the tragic death of a 53-year-old flight attendant was due to radiation exposure to which he was exposed during his many years working for Korean Air.

The deceased crew member worked as a flight attendant for South Korea's largest airline for many years. In April 2021, during a medical examination, he received the bad news that he had late-stage stomach cancer. Unfortunately he died in the meantime.

The survivors have taken legal action before the responsible labor court. This has now decided in favor of the deceased and determined that the cancer was a direct result of the radiation exposure to which he was exposed during his approximately 25 years of service. This is also said to be due to the fact that around 50 percent of his flying hours were on long-haul flights that lead over the Arctic to Europe and North America.

The court found that radiation levels in this region of the world are higher than elsewhere. An assessment by the IAEA also played a role, as the International Atomic Energy Agency states that there are a large number of (natural) nuclear sources in the Arctic. Furthermore, this region is said to be generally susceptible to radioactive radiation. However, it has not been answered whether nuclear weapons tests carried out by the Soviet Union in the past are relevant.

For some time now, the South Korean government has regulated the maximum radiation dose to which flying personnel may be exposed more strictly than any other country. The airlines must check the charges, document them and report them to the civil aviation authority once a month.