Dozens Enter South Korea Without Passport Control After Security Slip-Up at Gimpo Airport

A security breach occurred at Gimpo Airport, where dozens of passengers on an international Korean Air flight arriving from Japan entered the country without going through immigration screening.

According to the aviation industry and other sources, Korean Air Flight KE2106, departing from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, arrived at Gimpo Airport at around 11:30 a.m. on June 7.

Passengers boarded multiple shuttle buses to move to the international terminal, but one of the buses carrying about 40 South Korean and foreign passengers mistakenly dropped them off at the domestic terminal instead.

At the time, there were no staff members at the domestic terminal to control or restrict the movement of international passengers.

The passengers mixed with domestic arrival passengers from other flights and walked into the terminal building.

Although international arrivals are required to undergo immigration checks, the entire process was skipped.

It was reportedly only after some passengers waiting for their luggage at the domestic terminal notified airport staff that they seemed to have mistakenly arrived at the domestic side that Korean Air became aware of the situation.

The airline staff searched for the passengers in the domestic baggage claim area and other spots, moving them back to the international terminal to undergo immigration screening.

However, five passengers had already left the airport without going through immigration.

One foreign passenger had traveled as far as a region south of Gyeonggi Province before their whereabouts were confirmed late in the afternoon, returning to Gimpo Airport and clearing immigration about nine hours after the incident occurred.

Another passenger, who was heading to Incheon International Airport, also returned to Gimpo Airport to complete the immigration process.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport concluded that Korean Air failed to properly implement its own security plans during the ramp bus transport process and imposed a fine of 10 million won on the airline.

Korean Air stated, "We take this matter very seriously and will re-examine our on-site operational procedures," adding, "We will review necessary measures to prevent similar inconveniences from recurring."

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Graphics by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.