Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Incheon Airport to open arrival duty free shops
An image of the arrival duty free shop to open at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on May 31. Courtesy of Incheon International Airport Corp.
By Kim Hyun-bin
By Kim Hyun-bin
Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) said Wednesday it was set to open duty free shops in the arrival areas of both Terminals 1 and 2, May 31.
The shops are a part of measures to alleviate the inconvenience of having to travel with duty free goods purchased at the departure area. The government also expects it to create hundreds of jobs.
SM Duty Free will operate two shops at T1 and Entas Duty Free one outlet at T2. They were selected as store operators according to the government policy giving preference to small- or mid-sized companies.
While selling highly popular items such as cosmetics, perfume and liquor, the duty free shops will provide a higher portion of domestic goods compared to those at departure terminals. Cigarettes and other products that can affect duty and import procedures will not be available.
“Items in around 10 categories will be sold including leather products, souvenirs, packaged foods and electronics,” an official from the IIAC said.
According to the IIAC, the arrival duty free shops are set up to better accommodate the rising number of travelers. The number of Koreans traveling abroad has increased by 7.1 percent each year in the last decade, reaching 2.87 million last year.
The latest survey of 1,000 people between July and August showed 81.2 percent agreed on duty free shops in the arrival area.
“The implementation of the arrival duty free shops will be an upgrade in services. The estimated 20 billion won ($17.1 million) in annual rent will be used to create jobs in the aviation industry and part of it will be given back to society,” the official said.
However, there are concerns that the shops could become a hazard to airport security as arrival hall congestion could create difficulties in customs and quarantine inspections.
The shops are being built near the baggage claim area, and some experts point out this will create unnecessary congestion. They also claim the duty free shops could be used as diverse escape routes for possible criminals to dodge surveillance and quarantine as well as other illegal activities by taking advantage of the crowd.
To better counter the prospective concerns, the IIAC plans to boost its surveillance and security capabilities.
“We plan to install more CCTVs and dispatch scores more security and customs agents to the arrival areas than the departure zones,” the official said.
Setting up arrival hall duty free shops has become a global trend. Out of 333 airports in 88 countries, 149 of them in 73 countries have shops in operation, according to the Airport Service Quality (ASQ).
Japan installed its first arrival duty free shops in April 2017 and China is looking to drastically expand the shops at its key airports.