A South Korean woman was stopped from flying home from Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai yesterday morning because she was carrying a damaged passport.

Airport immigration police said she ripped her passport in a quarrel with her husband.

Since her passport was damaged beyond recognition, police told her she must apply for a new passport and visa to legally leave the country.

"A passport is essential identification for international travel," said Liu Yongjian, an immigration officer with Hongqiao Airport.

"They must be kept in good condition to remain valid."

Police said the woman, surnamed Kim, was unhappy that her husband was working in Shanghai and had decided to return home with their daughter without telling him.

The mother and daughter had moved to Shanghai at the end of last year, police said, adding that Kim complained about her husband not spending enough time with them.

Police said they contacted Kim's husband and that he rushed to the airport to apologize to his family.

(Shanghai Daily March 4, 2008)