Woman busted after riding luggage conveyor belt into restricted area at Incheon Airport

A woman in her 40s was caught after she snuck into a restricted area by riding a luggage conveyor belt at Incheon International Airport, police said on Friday.

Pieces of checked luggage are carried by a conveyor belt on the departure floor at Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport in May. [YONHAP]

A woman in her 40s was caught after she snuck into a restricted area by riding a luggage conveyor belt at Incheon International Airport, police said on Friday.

The Incheon International Airport Police Corps said the woman allegedly hopped onto the conveyor belt for checked baggage near self-service bag drop counters on the departure floor at Terminal 2 of the airport at around 3:20 p.m. on Thursday. The belt reportedly carried her to the underground floors, which are restricted areas for security reasons.

An airline employee belatedly found the woman on the belt and reported her action to the airport’s operation room.

After arriving at the underground area, she got off the conveyor belt. Security guards then captured her as she sat next to the belt area and referred her to the police.

Instead of questioning her, police decided to hospitalize her, citing her rambling behavior.

Police determined she had no plans or tickets to depart overseas on the day of the incident.

Police were “a bit surprised as such a thing had never happened before,” one officer said.

The officer said police reviewed the Airport Facilities Act and Aviation Safety Act but found no governing provisions regarding the woman's actions. Accordingly, she was charged merely with illegal trespassing, a violation of the Criminal Act.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]