Gov't official gets suspended sentence for booking, canceling first class airline tickets for lounge access

A government official has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for repeatedly booking and canceling first-class flight tickets to gain access to airport lounges.

[KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A government official has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for repeatedly booking and canceling first class flight tickets to gain access to airport lounges.

The Incheon District Court sentenced an official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, along with 240 hours of community service. The official was convicted on charges of fraud and obstruction of business.

The official was found guilty of booking first class tickets on 33 occasions between Jan. 19, 2018, and Nov. 8, 2023, using the airline lounges for food and amenities, then canceling the reservations to obtain refunds, according to prosecutors.

The official exploited the airline’s policy that allows free cancellation within 24 hours of booking by using the ticket to enter the lounge, eat and collect souvenirs before canceling.

During the trial, the defendant argued that the airline had violated the Personal Information Protection Act by accessing personal data and sharing it with investigators. However, the court ruled that the airline’s actions were lawful, as the information was provided in the process of reporting a crime, as permitted under the law.

“Although this was the defendant’s first offense and the financial damage has not been specifically quantified, the court took into account the motive and other surrounding circumstances,” said the judge.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM JI-HYE [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]