[News Today] EXPANDED INCHEON INT’L AIRPORT

[LEAD]
The Incheon International Airport is getting even bigger and faster. After seven years and 5 trillion won of investment, the Terminal 2 expansion project is nearing completion. Operations are set to begin in December. What’s new? We have the details.

[REPORT]
This is the interior of the expanded Terminal 2.

AI-activated sculpture in motion hangs from the ceiling above the airliners' check-in counters where passengers stop by first.

Kim Do-hyung/ Incheon International Airport Corporation
In thinking of nature, it expresses the movements of the endangered animals in the sky, in the seas, and on land.

A giant screen measuring 77 meters wide and eight meters tall in the departure area greets visitors with colorful videos of Korean fan dance.

Oh Dae-sung/ KBS Reporter
After departure inspection, the farthest gate is about 850m away. One side of
the moving walkway, measuring about 380 meters long, is for self-driving non-stop shuttles to help passengers who need assistance moving or facing imminent departure.

As the airport aims to be eco-friendly, its curved ceiling allows for natural lighting.

Passengers with long layover times can relax at an outdoor courtyard with a gazebo.

Jo Won-ki/ Incheon International Airport Corporation
People can't breathe in outdoor air inside the airport. we recreated Seungjaejeong, the most beautiful gazebo in Changdeokgung Palace.

In the arrival area arrival information is shown in amusing images on a large LED screen to make waiting a little less boring.

With the expansion of the terminal and construction of additional runways, the airport's annual passenger capacity will increase from the current 77 million to 106 million.

Bae Seok-ju/ Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
100 million in passenger capacity means the third largest in the world. Instead
of serving transportation purposes, now it has cultural and artistic functions.

Incheon International Airport Corporation plans to operate the expanded terminal starting in December once comprehensive testing and operational readiness evaluations are over.