The NHRC recommended a settlement for a complaint against Incheon International Airport Customs and Incheon International Airport (01-13-2003)
The National Human Rights Commission recommended the settlement betweem the complainant and the respondents, the Incheon International Airport Customs and the Incheon International Airport, regarding an incident in which an employee of the Incheon International Airport Terminal, Choi (age, 36) filed a complaint with the Commission on Aug. 6, 2002, claiming that he had been examined his belongs by special guards whenever he left the office, and he suffered insult dating back to April of 2002.
The NHRC recommended that the individuals should be screened with X-ray equipment when items are sent to the Land Side, a general area from the Airside Land, a bonded area. It also suggested that examination of personal items should be kept at the minimum, including cases in which use of x-ray devices is impossible. In addition, the conditions which make it impossible to examine with X-ray equipment should be specified on the documents. If they should examine one"s belongings owing to unavoidable circumstances, they should conduct a joint-examination with other Customs employees, and open the result to the public in the joint-name of the Chief of the Incheon International Airport Customs and the president of the Incheon International Airport, but in a location where only formal employees can see.
According to the investigation by the NHRC, the Incheon International Airport Customs had contracted a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Incheon International Airport Customs, so the Incheon International Airport could substitute the examination whether articles free from taxes, foreign currency, drug, and counterfeit notes were illegally carried out and in. The Incheon International Airport has examined employees" belongings in the past with using J-system [the name of system] by special guards. There have been 61 cases reported the contract was made examined were cosmetics such as lipsticks and perfumes.
Most employees showed displeasure when their belongings were examined. A survey conducted in December of 2002 showed that 65% of employees said that the examination of their personal things made them uncomfortable. The special guards admitted that they had always examined employees" belongings, and sometimes they used X-ray equipment.
The NHRC concluded its recommendation by finding that it is more important to protect the personal rights and rights for equality rather than it is to disclose illegal items through the examination of personal thing. The NHRC pointed out that employees may become uncomfortable when special guards arbitrarily examine their personal things without X-ray equipment, and employees may be meticulously examined because they are seperate from general tourists.
