Official Complaint Filed Over Jang Won-young's 'Airport Attitude' Controversy: "Should Celebrities Be Exempt from Removing Hats?"

It has been confirmed that an official complaint has been filed regarding the "attitude controversy" surrounding IVE member Jang Won-young during her departure from Gimpo International Airport, calling for clearer standards for identity verification at the airport.

On June 15, a complainant submitted a formal request to the Gimpo Airport Operation Division of the Korea Airports Corporation, demanding that the "procedures and official guidelines for identity verification at international departure gates be specified."

This follows a controversy that arose on May 30 when Jang was departing for Shanghai, China. During the identity check, Jang kept her hat on and only briefly lowered her mask with one hand before pulling it back up, which drew public criticism.

The complainant reportedly questioned whether the same standards apply to all airports under the Korea Airports Corporation, including Gimpo Airport, noting that Incheon International Airport provides specific instructions for passengers to remove masks, hats, and sunglasses during identity verification.

In particular, the complainant demanded to know "whether the same standards are applied to all passengers regardless of their social status, such as politicians or celebrities."

The complainant also pointed out that the lack of clear, detailed regulations is increasing the workload for airport staff.

Under the current Enforcement Decree of the Aviation Security Act, airport operators are required to verify a passenger's identity by comparing their boarding pass with their identification.

While the law allows for additional identity verification through follow-up questions, it does not specify detailed regulations regarding how much of one's face—such as whether a mask or hat must be removed—should be revealed.

However, some have argued that the "attitude controversy" is a misunderstanding, pointing out that "in footage from a different angle released later, Jang handed over her passport with both hands and cooperated fully with the facial verification process."

The Korea Airports Corporation stated that it will review the complaint and provide a response by June 23.

Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.