370,000 Lighters Confirmed Left Behind at Incheon Airport Security in First Half; 28 Tons of Food Also Abandoned

A total of 370,000 lighters were left behind by travelers departing through Incheon International Airport in the first half of this year after failing to comply with carry-on baggage regulations, data showed.

According to Incheon International Airport Corp. today, abandoned items confiscated during security screening for departing passengers from January to June totaled 165.3 tons, combining 136.7 tons of general items and 28.6 tons of food products.

This tally excluded discarded items such as opened food and beverage products.

General items included in the abandoned goods totaled 1,193,963 pieces. Cosmetics and daily necessities accounted for the largest share at 610,000 items (51.8%), followed by 370,000 lighters (31.1%), and stationery, knives, and scissors at 100,000 items (8.9%).

For international flights, cosmetics and daily necessities in liquid, gel, or spray forms can only be brought into the cabin if they are kept in individual containers of 100 ml or less and placed in a single 1-liter clear plastic zip-top bag.

As for lighters, passengers are allowed to carry a maximum of one portable gas lighter on their person into the cabin, but placing them in carry-on or checked baggage is strictly prohibited.

Food items surrendered prior to boarding included 5.1 tons of kimchi, 2.5 tons of red pepper paste (gochujang), 2.3 tons of soybean paste (doenjang), and 18.7 tons of other items.

Considering that a single head of kimchi weighs roughly 3 kg, this means that nearly 1,700 heads of kimchi were barred from airplane cabins in the first half of the year alone.

Food products containing liquids, such as kimchi and gochujang, must not exceed 100 ml per individual container and must be packed inside a single 1-liter clear plastic zip-top bag to be allowed on board.

The airport corporation analyzed that these items are frequently surrendered at security checkpoints before boarding because travelers are either unaware of or fail to follow these in-cabin restriction rules.

Items fundamentally prohibited from being brought into the cabin include flammable gases and liquids, sharp objects, swords, firearms, and tools.

Auxiliary batteries up to 160 Wh are allowed only as carry-on baggage with a limit of two per person, and placing them in checked baggage is restricted.

Incheon International Airport Corp. sorts the abandoned items every month and sequentially donates them to around 10 non-profit social welfare organizations.

An official from Incheon International Airport Corp. stated, "For lighters, items with intense flames such as torch lighters are restricted from entry," adding, "With the summer vacation season driving up passenger numbers, the volume of abandoned items is also expected to increase."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.