By Jung Min-ho
Nineteen people have been caught this year trying to bring guns onto planes in Korea, a sharp increase from just one from last year.
According to Rep. Park Wan-su of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, Monday, 25 such cases occurred at airports across the country between January 2014 and this September.
The number changed little from two in 2014 to three in 2015 and one in 2016, but it has soared at an alarming rate over the past nine months.
During that period, 25 guns, 1,368 bullets, 395 knives and 1,374 other weapons such as stun guns have been seized.
"All the nation's airports and related institutions should beef up their security in response to an increasing number of such attempts," Park said.
According to Rep. Park Chan-woo of the same party, 34 people were caught at Incheon International Airport trying to smuggle guns into the country between January 2012 and this August.
During that period, 2,819 illegal weapons, including 1,483 bullets and 426 knives, were seized. The lawmaker said 45.8 percent of them came from the United States.
"The risk of terrorism is increasing in Korea due to lax security inspections in other nations," he said. "We should inform them of their inspection failures and urge them to improve their systems."
Nineteen people have been caught this year trying to bring guns onto planes in Korea, a sharp increase from just one from last year.
According to Rep. Park Wan-su of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, Monday, 25 such cases occurred at airports across the country between January 2014 and this September.
The number changed little from two in 2014 to three in 2015 and one in 2016, but it has soared at an alarming rate over the past nine months.
During that period, 25 guns, 1,368 bullets, 395 knives and 1,374 other weapons such as stun guns have been seized.
"All the nation's airports and related institutions should beef up their security in response to an increasing number of such attempts," Park said.
According to Rep. Park Chan-woo of the same party, 34 people were caught at Incheon International Airport trying to smuggle guns into the country between January 2012 and this August.
During that period, 2,819 illegal weapons, including 1,483 bullets and 426 knives, were seized. The lawmaker said 45.8 percent of them came from the United States.
"The risk of terrorism is increasing in Korea due to lax security inspections in other nations," he said. "We should inform them of their inspection failures and urge them to improve their systems."
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