Don't Miss

US-bound passengers from S. Korea to enjoy eased security check

November 17, 2014

(Korea Times)

SEJONG, Nov. 18 (Yonhap) — Air passengers bound for the United States from South Korea’s Gimhae International Airport in Busan will be exempt from a last-minute security inspection from next month, the government said Tuesday.

Starting from Dec. 22, all U.S.-bound passengers from the Gimhae airport, including those headed to Guam and Saipan, will be exempt from a second security inspection, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The move comes about six months after the United States’ Transportation Security Administration agreed to remove the second security inspection on passengers from South Korea.

The Gimhae airport, located some 450 kilometers south of Seoul, will be the second airport in the country to be exempt from a second security inspection of U.S.-bound passengers.

U.S.-bound passengers from Incheon International Airport, a main gateway to Seoul, have enjoyed the simplified boarding procedure since Jan. 30.

The U.S. has been demanding a last minute security check, largely for liquids, on all U.S.-bound passengers from around the world since 2006 when a series of failed attempts to hijack or blow up U.S.-bound flights with liquid bombs were exposed.

The Incheon airport was the world’s first-ever airport to be exempt from the U.S. requirement.

The ministry said the removal of the second security inspection of U.S.-bound passengers at Gimhae will benefit some 35,000 passengers annually while also helping to save up to 400 million won (US$365,000) in costs.