Incheon Airport To Open Special Route For Foreign Business Travelers

Incheon International Airport. (Wikimedia Commons/Kanchi1979)

JAKARTA - Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea will launch a new immigration route for foreign business travelers on Sunday, aiming to reduce waiting times and increase comfort.

This special route, which is intended for foreign travelers with investment or business purposes in Korea, allows for faster processing through separate checkpoints.

This move, proposed by business lobby groups and company representatives in a June meeting with President Lee Jae-myung, responds to complaints that foreign investors often wait for an average of 24 to 35 minutes sometimes up to 92 minutes at the regular immigration counter.

In comparison, domestic travelers usually wait less than two minutes at an unmanned automated checkpoint and about five minutes with immigration officials.

The new system will start with trials until December, before its official launch.

Depending on the input, this service can be extended to Gimpo International Airport in Seoul and Gimhae International Airport in Busan. Airport authorities also plan to introduce fully automated checks to further reduce processing time.

This service is available to foreign tourists recommended by one of the six business organizations: The Korean Industrial Federation, the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea, the Korean Medium Market Company Federation, the Korean Federation of Companies, and the Korean International Trade Association.

"We hope this new service will increase the comfort of Incheon Airport for foreign businessmen," said Incheon International Airport Corp President and CEO Lee Hag-jae, as reported by The Korea Times, August 27.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation said this step was part of a broader effort to improve the Korean business environment for foreign investors.

Previously, Incheon Airport was ranked the highest in the world for service quality in cross-border inspections and passports for 12 consecutive years, but faced growing complaints after the COVID-19 pandemic, as international travel recovered in 2023.