The Korea Herald

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Celebrities to use special security lane at Incheon Airport

By Yoon Min-sik

Published : Oct. 23, 2024 - 13:55

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A check-in counter at Terminal 1 of the Incheon Airport. (Yonhap) A check-in counter at Terminal 1 of the Incheon Airport. (Yonhap)

Incheon Airport said Wednesday it will allow celebrities to use the security lane that had previously been reserved for flight crew, in a bid to prevent fans from overcrowding the gates.

The Incheon International Airport Corp. recently sent guidelines for a process that will allow celebrities to use exclusive security lane at the terminal during departure. This is a bid to minimize the crowd-gathering near the entrance, and is expected to be implemented on Oct. 28.

"Celebrities tend to attack a lot of people, which leads to overcrowding (at the airport). This not only causes inconvenience and problems for other passengers but also has a risk of accidents," the airport corporation said.

Officials explained that the security lane celebrities will be using is not a newly-made one, but one that is being used only by the flight crew. Celebrities wishing to use this security lane have to submit applications beforehand.

A large number of fans gathering to get a glimpse of celebrities has led to numerous incidents in the past, most recently a controversy surrounding the excessive security measures for actor Byeon Woo-seok.

During Byeon's departure from the Incheon International Airport in July, some members of his security team blocked entrances and conducted passport checks on other passengers without the authorization of the airport.