On August 16th, Seoul Seongbuk-gap Rep. Kim Young-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed an amendment to the Airport Facilities Act to prevent bodyguards from private security companies from obstructing airport passengers’ entry or passage without approval from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport or other relevant authorities.
This proposal follows a recent incident in which actor Byun Woo-seok faced criticism for excessive security at Incheon Airport, such as pointing flashlights in the face of airport passengers and controlling the airport gates.
The security company responsible for protecting Byun Woo-seok explained that they obtained permission from the airport security unit in advance. However, Incheon International Airport Corporation refuted it and filed a complaint against the security company last month. International Airport Police Corps also booked an employee of the security company as a suspect and conducted an investigation.
Rep. Kim said, “The current Airport Facilities Act does not provide a basis to punish private security guards and others if they interfere with airport passengers’ use of facilities at the airport”, adding “Since airports are public facilities used by countless people, their use of airports should not be controlled without proper authority should not be allowed”.
Byun Woo-seok’s Varo Entertainment also clarified the excessive security allegation, saying “Our agency failed to realize the situation at the scene but we feel responsible for all the unpleasant things in the security process. We would like to apologize to passengers who felt uncomfortable”.
Source: Daum
