Incheon Airport chief says detecting dollars hidden in books ‘practically impossible’

Lee Hak-jae, the CEO of the Incheon International Airport Corporation, strongly pushed back against President Lee Jae Myung’s call for tighter inspections to catch cash smuggling, saying it would be “practically impossible” under current operating conditions.

Although the press briefing on Tuesday was intended to review the airport's performance during 2025 and present its plans for 2026, the focus quickly shifted to the so-called bookmark dollar controversy.

During a policy briefing held by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Friday, President Lee asked if it was true that people were smuggling tens of thousands of dollars out of the country by hiding $100 bills between book pages. When CEO Lee struggled to answer and began reading from a prepared document, the president interrupted him: “Don’t just read what was written for you. You’re missing the point.”

Two days later, CEO Lee posted a rebuttal on social media, in which he wrote that even veteran airport employees would have struggled to answer the president's question unless they worked in security. He added that the president’s comments risked creating the misperception that “hiding dollars in books is a foolproof way to get [money] through airport screening.”

At the press briefing on Tuesday, CEO Lee responded to the president's order on Friday to “look through every book passing through [airport] security” by stating that it is “logistically unfeasible” to open and inspect every book in every piece of luggage in search of hidden currency. 

“That kind of policy would cause massive disruptions to airport operations,” he said. “It would impose unreasonable inconvenience on travelers and hurt service quality.”

The CEO then emphasized that full baggage inspections fall under the jurisdiction of the Korea Customs Service, not the airport.

“The airport’s job is to look for dangerous items as part of aviation security,” he said. “If any suspicious items are found, including money, they are handed over to customs for further inspection.”

He rejected the idea of mandatory book screenings for checked luggages, noting that many travelers, including international students, carry a large number of books.

“Opening and inspecting each book is not realistic in terms of time or manpower,” he said. “Currently, about 10 percent of checked bags are opened and inspected at the 'interest' alert level. If 30 percent of all checked bags were estimated to contain books with smuggled cash, the alert level would be raised to 'caution' or 'serious,' significantly increasing congestion [because more bags would need to be searched].”

At the policy briefing on Friday, President Lee had reprimanded the CEO for failing to provide a clear update on the company's airport development project in Egypt. CEO Lee clarified at the press briefing on Tuesday that the project is still in its early stages. 

“We expect a bid to be announced around April next year,” he said. “After the airport passes the preliminary qualification screening, we will review the results internally before deciding whether to bid and at what price.”

CEO Lee also voiced frustration over delays in expanding airport infrastructure.

“Incheon International Airport offers world-class service, but it remains one of the only major airports without a paid express lane for business-class travelers,” he said. “It’s common sense, yet discussion within the government and political circles hasn’t progressed.”

According to him, the airport's expansion should have begun two years ago.

“There’s been no official government announcement, and the [...] expansion isn’t even included in the [land ministry’s] fourth basic aviation policy plan,” he said. “I will do my part to ensure the project moves forward without delays.”

Additionally, CEO Lee addressed recent rumors about his possible resignation or return to politics by running in next year’s local elections.

“I've never considered either option,” he said.

CEO Lee, a three-term lawmaker and then-member of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s campaign, was appointed CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation in June 2023.

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 PARK YOUNG-WOO [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]