10 Tons of Kimchi Seized at Airport Inspection, Where Is It Going? A Heartwarming Ending...

Over 10 Tons of Kimchi Seized Last Year
Carry-on Restricted If Exceeding Volume Limit
Donated to Social Welfare Organizations or Disposed

Items prohibited from being carried on board that were caught during security checks were found to have been delivered to places in need, such as being used as ingredients in cafeteria meals.

Kimchi displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul, unrelated to the article content. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

According to the '2024 Passenger Abandoned Items Donation Performance' data from Incheon International Airport Corporation on the 2nd, the amount of kimchi donated last year at Incheon Airport due to security checks reached 10.7 tons. The corporation is known to donate or dispose of 'passenger abandoned items'?items not taken by passengers due to reasons such as being prohibited from carrying on board?to nonprofit social welfare organizations following processing procedures.

Considering that one head of kimchi weighs about 3 kg, nearly 3,500 heads of kimchi were prohibited from being carried on board last year due to regulation violations. During the same period, 10.5 tons of sauces such as gochujang and soy sauce, and 30.8 tons of other foods such as rice and fruits were donated. According to current regulations, foods containing liquids like kimchi or gochujang can be carried on board if placed in a single 1-liter plastic zipper bag with each individual container not exceeding 100 ml; exceeding this limit restricts carry-on.

However, checked baggage can carry these items without volume restrictions, so large quantities must be checked in advance. Fruits, vegetables, and agricultural products are restricted items for import and export; to check them in as checked baggage or carry them on board, a plant inspection certificate from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency must be obtained. A welfare center that received donated food items last year is reportedly using them as ingredients for free meal services.

Meanwhile, the total quantity of donated general items such as knives, portable auxiliary batteries, and toothpaste was counted at 1,831,814 units (216.6 tons). In the case of auxiliary batteries, lithium-ion batteries are only allowed to be carried on board if they are 100Wh or less, and cannot be checked in as checked baggage.