"Are Celebrities Officials?"... Incheon Airport Withdraws 'Separate Entrance' Amid Favoritism Controversy

Criticism Continues Over "Favoritism and Class Division" at National Audit
Incheon Airport "Plan Withdrawn... Will Prepare Separate Measures"

Incheon International Airport has ultimately decided to withdraw its plan to use a ‘dedicated entrance’ for celebrities.

On the 27th, Incheon International Airport announced that it will not permit the use of a separate entrance for celebrities and famous individuals, which was scheduled to be implemented later this month.

In a press release, Incheon International Airport explained, “Considering various opinions raised during the National Assembly audit and media reports, the ‘procedure for the use of a separate entrance for celebrities in crowded situations,’ which was scheduled to be implemented on the 28th, will not be enforced.”

An airport official stated, “Due to concerns raised during the recent National Assembly audit and by the media that this could be perceived as preferential treatment for celebrities, we plan to reconsider the use of the entrance dedicated to flight attendants.”

Previously, the airport had announced that it had prepared procedures allowing celebrities to use the dedicated entrance originally used by pilots, flight attendants, and diplomats performing official duties, in order to ensure the safety of general passengers during celebrity departures.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, this policy faced criticism as preferential treatment. Furthermore, controversy arose over discrimination against small and medium-sized entertainment agencies, as official documents offering the celebrity-only entrance were mainly sent to large entertainment agencies.

During the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit held on the 24th, criticism continued with remarks such as, “This measure causes the public to feel relative deprivation and sparks controversy over preferential treatment for celebrities and even class stratification among celebrities,” and “There are criticisms questioning whether celebrities are entitled to special privileges.”

In response, Lee Hak-jae, president of the airport corporation, explained, “During last year’s audit, there was a suggestion to allow celebrities to use a dedicated entrance to prevent congestion in crowded situations such as when celebrities enter the airport,” adding, “We had been preparing this even before the Byun Woo-seok incident, but were unable to implement it earlier.”

Incheon International Airport, while announcing the withdrawal of the celebrity-only entrance plan, added, “We will review overseas airport operation cases and gather sufficient opinions to prepare separate measures to ensure the safety of airport users and prevent congestion caused by crowding.”