February 20, 2025: South Korea is tightening rules for power banks and e-cigarettes carried on airplanes in the wake of a fire on an Air Busan flight.

As of March 1, the lithium battery devices will be banned from storage in overhead bins and must instead be kept on a passenger’s person or in a seat pocket, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on February 13.

Four passengers were reportedly injured last month when a plane caught fire at an airport last month in South Korea’s city of Busan, although the cause of the blaze has not been announced.

However, the government said it was acting in response to growing public fears over the danger posed by power banks on flights.

Yoo Kyung-soo, director general of the ministry’s Aviation Safety Policy Bureau, said: “If a power bank is deemed to be the cause of the Air Busan fire, we will discuss with the International Civil Aviation Organization consideration of more regulations such as limiting the number of battery packs in carry-on luggage.”