Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Over 10 tons of kimchi confiscated at Incheon airport donated to charity
A notice displaying prohibited items for checked baggage is shown on a screen near the check-in counters at Incheon International Airport, Monday. Yonhap
By Jung Da-hyun
Confiscated items at Incheon International Airport, including kimchi and rice caught in security screenings of carry-on luggage, have been donated to various welfare facilities.
According to Incheon International Airport, a total of 10.7 tons of kimchi was confiscated during security screening and donated later last year.
Given that a single kimchi cabbage weighs approximately 3 kilograms, an estimated 3,500 kimchi cabbages were banned from carry-on luggage due to regulation violations.
During the same period, 10.5 tons of fermented sauces such as "gochujang" (red pepper paste) and soy sauce, along with 30.8 metric tons of other food items including rice and fruit, were also confiscated from travelers' luggage and donated.
Food items containing liquid, such as kimchi and gochujang, can only be carried onboard if they are stored in individual containers of 100 milliliters or less, all placed within a single one-liter resealable plastic bag.
However, there are no volume restrictions for these items when packed in checked luggage.
Fruit, vegetables and agricultural products are classified as restricted items for import and export. To bring them onboard or place them in checked luggage, passengers must obtain a phytosanitary inspection certificate from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.
One welfare facility that received donated food items last year has reportedly been using them as ingredients for its free meal service.
In addition to food, a total of more than 1.83 million confiscated non-food items were also donated. These included knives, portable batteries and toothpaste.