Korea steps up airport efforts to stop Parisian bedbug invasion as Olympics end

As the Olympic Games draw to a close and a global crowd prepares to head home from Paris, Korea is stepping up its game to keep bedbugs at bay.

Pest control personnel at Incheon International Airport disinfect the transit lounge at the airport's Terminal 2 on Nov. 17, 2023. [YONHAP]

As the Olympic Games draw to a close and a global crowd prepares to head home from Paris, Korea is stepping up its game to keep bedbugs at bay.

Despite being relatively safe from these pests, the Korean government is implementing heightened quarantine measures for flights between Paris and Seoul, alongside stringent protocols at Incheon International Airport.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency jointly announced a collaborative effort with Incheon International Airport Corporation, three Korean carriers flying to Paris — Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and T'way Air — and pest control company Cesco to enhance disinfection and pest control measures on Wednesday.

In a preemptive move, aircraft on the Paris-Incheon route will now be disinfected once a week from once a month.

Weekly disinfections will also be conducted in key airport areas with high passenger traffic, such as transit lounges and arrival halls. Additionally, bedbug traps will be installed in critical areas like rest areas and baggage claim zones.

A special booth by Cesco will be operational at the airport from Friday until Sept. 8, featuring a bedbug-sniffing dog and an expert with "over 10 years of bedbug control experience," located between Incheon Airport's Terminal 2 Gate B and Exit 4. The team will quickly detect and eliminate any bedbug presence.

Recognizing that bedbugs perish at temperatures 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) or above, the airport will deploy steam pest control devices and ten hot air blowers to treat suspected clothing and luggage, ensuring thorough high-temperature drying.

The airport will install monitors across 49 locations to educate passengers on bedbug prevention tips to keep them informed and vigilant.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]