Incheon International Airport Considers Legal Actions Against Byun Woo-seok’s Security Company

An official from Incheon International Airport Corporation said in a phone call with MoneyToday on July 16th, “We plan to actively respond to illegal activities done by the said private security company and strengthen on-site control by closely cooperating with related agencies, and to ensure the safety and convenience of airport users.”

Regarding taking legal actions, the official said, “We are considering to file a complaint against their abuse of authority or coercion.”

Previously, a controversy erupted when actor Byun Woo-seok came to Incheon International Airport for his visit to Hong Kong on the morning of July 12th. After Byun entered gate 2 of the departure hall on the third floor of Terminal 2, his private security guards blocked the gate for about 10 minutes, causing inconvenience to ordinary passengers.

In addition, when Byun entered the prestige class lounge on the 4th floor, his guards blocked the entrance of the escalator. They even inspected the passports and boarding passes of the passengers. This sparked controversy over Byun’s “excessive security.”

An official of the corporation explained, “There was the airport security agency (Incheon International Airport Security) at the site, but they could not stop the actions of the private security guards because the on-site staff or security guards did not have jurisdiction.” In particular, on-site staff can only told them to “please don’t do that” or report it to the Incheon International Airport Police, and cannot directly stop the private guards’ wrongdoings. Even if this happens again, there is no legal basis for them to control it.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which manages and supervises Incheon International Airport, is also considering this fact. They say it is ambiguous to set regulations on the area where private security companies operate to protect celebrities. An official from the ministry said, “There should be discussions from related agencies, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Airport Corporation, and the Airport Police Corps, on how far an action by private security agencies will be considered as ‘excessive security’ and how far they will be sanctioned. It seems necessary to come up with a management plan to prevent this from happening again by reorganizing standards, methods, and procedures.”

Meanwhile, the Incheon International Airport Police said they are having an internal investigation on Byun Woo-seok’s three private security guards before taking legal action against them on charges of assault, coercion, and obstruction of business.