Mock explosives missed at airport security, already five times this year

[Anchor]

In order to check the security status at the airport, a passenger's bag containing a fake explosive was checked in, but there have been five instances this year where the explosive was not detected during the baggage handling process.

Choi Kwang-ho reports on why explosives, which can pose a fatal threat to aviation safety, were missed.

[Report]

In July, an inspector from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport disguised as a passenger visited Jeju International Airport.

The inspector hid a fake explosive inside his luggage while checking it in, but it was not detected during the checked baggage screening process.

The fake explosive looks like an ordinary item such as a shoe or a water bottle, but it contains key components of a bomb and is created under the direction of intelligence agencies.

[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official/voice altered : "Terrorists in the U.S. also hide (bombs) in shoes or elsewhere. The question is whether we can catch this during the security screening process..."]

In this year's surprise evaluations of aviation security conducted at airports nationwide, Jeju, Ulsan, and Cheongju airports missed fake explosives five times.

The number of undetected cases, steadily rising since 2020, has reached last year's total detection cases in just seven months this year.

There are also many cases where prohibited items such as live ammunition and blank cartridges are missed and discovered later.

[Korea Airports Corporation official/voice altered : "There were both foreigners and locals, and sometimes active-duty soldiers, when on leave, unknowingly put them in their bags."]

Among these, airports where relatively large security gaps have been identified have even faced fines.

[Ahn Tae-jun/Member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee/Democratic Party : "It seems that there is a need for enhanced security capability training and systematic educational training, especially at small to medium airports."]

Incheon International Airport also missed mock explosives during a joint surprise evaluation conducted with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last year, highlighting the need for strengthened security measures at domestic airports.

This is KBS News, Choi Kwang-ho.