Criticism of Playing Tennis in Incheon Airport Terminal
Jeon Mira, a former national tennis player and wife of singer Yoon Jong-shin, criticized a man and woman playing tennis at Incheon Airport, saying, "No matter how much you love tennis, it is absolutely unacceptable to play it in public places."
A man and a woman playing tennis inside the Incheon International Airport terminal [Image source=Social Networking Service (SNS)]
On the 14th, Jeon shared an article titled "A man and woman blatantly playing tennis blocking the entrance of Incheon International Airport while travelers pass by" on her Instagram and made this comment. She wrote, "It is disheartening and heavy to see such news that does not reflect well on tennis," adding, "I hope we can all raise awareness and strive to be classy tennis players who always pay attention to manners."
A man and a woman playing tennis inside the Incheon International Airport terminal [Image source=Social Networking Service (SNS)]
Earlier, on the 12th, a short video showing a couple playing tennis near the entrance lobby inside Incheon International Airport was shared on online communities and various social media platforms, sparking controversy.
In the video, a woman wearing a white hat and white top is seen exchanging tennis balls with a man dressed in black top and bottom using rackets. They persistently hit the ball back and forth, seemingly indifferent to passersby walking on either side or glancing at them. Next to them, there were waiting seats where airport users were sitting and resting. At one point, a passerby walking behind the man almost got hit by the swinging tennis racket, creating a tense moment. The couple was later identified as foreign siblings.
Netizens who saw the video reacted with comments such as, "There are too many people without common sense," "What on earth were they thinking to behave like that?" "If there were more people, they might even play baseball," "Why doesn't airport security stop them?" "The world is vast, and there are many strange people," "An extremely selfish act that disregards public morals," and "I thought it was edited." On the other hand, some netizens responded, "When waiting times at the airport get long, people might want to stretch their bodies," and "They didn't harm anyone, so what's the problem?"
Article 56 of the Airport Facilities Act prohibits unauthorized occupation of facilities, but some opinions suggest that the couple's actions are hard to be considered as unauthorized occupation of the facilities.
Jeon Mira debuted as a professional player in 1993 and in 1994 became the first Korean player to finish as runner-up in the Wimbledon Junior Girls' Singles. She retired in 2005 and married Yoon Jong-shin in 2006, with whom she has three children.
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