SEOUL: A small kitchen knife mistakenly packed by a passenger recently went undetected at a security checkpoint at Incheon International Airport, prompting authorities to investigate how a restricted item was brought on board.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on May 19 it was looking into how the knife passed through security screening at the airport and whether the Aviation Security Act was violated in the incident.
At 6.20pm on May 17, a female passenger on board an Etihad Airways flight bound for Abu Dhabi told the flight crew that she had found a 9cm knife inside her carry-on bag.
The passenger, who is in her 50s, had used the knife to peel fruit on her way to the airport and forgot that she had put it in the bag.
The Incheon International Airport Police Corps decided the passenger had no criminal intent and allowed her to leave the country as scheduled.
But the incident raised concern over a security breach at the country’s largest airport. Knives are prohibited on board regardless of size and should have been detected during security screening.
The Transport Ministry said an inspector from the Seoul Regional Office of Aviation would be dispatched to the scene and that those responsible would be held accountable based on the results of the investigation. - The Korea Herald/ANN
