Confiscated items, including kimchi and rice caught in security screenings of carry-on luggage at Incheon International Airport, have been donated to various welfare facilities. According to Incheon International Airport, 10.7 tons of kimchi were confiscated and donated during security screening late last year.
Due to regulation violations, an estimated 3,500 kimchi cabbages weighing approximately 3 kilograms were banned from carry-on luggage. At the same time, 10.5 tons of fermented sauces, such as “gochujang” (red pepper paste) and soy sauce, and 30.8 metric tons of other food items, including rice and fruit, were confiscated from travelers’ luggage and donated.
Food items containing liquid, such as kimchi and gochujang, can be carried onboard only if stored in individual containers of 100 millilitres or less and placed within a single one-litre resealable plastic bag. Nonetheless, these items have no volume restrictions when packed in checked luggage.
Confiscated food items repurposed
Fruits, vegetables, and agricultural products are restricted for import and export. To bring them onboard or in checked luggage, passengers must obtain a phytosanitary inspection certificate from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.
A welfare facility, one of the beneficiaries that received donated food items last year, has reportedly been using them as ingredients for its free meal service. This reinforces the significant contribution of charities in bringing about beneficial change and added advantage.
“These food supplies have been a key factor in sustaining our free meal services for the less privileged. The donations provide nutritious meals for people who rely on us for support,” says a spokesman from one of the facilities, who expresses gratitude.
More than 1.83 million confiscated non-food items were also donated in addition to food, and these included knives, portable batteries and toothpaste. What these authorities are doing not only reduces waste and environmental pollution but also contributes to the sustainable development goals, particularly SDG goal 12, which is all about ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, which is key to sustaining the livelihoods of current and future generations and with this in view, everyone becomes a key factor in its actualization.
The initiative’s impact
Incheon International Airport sets a precedent for socially responsible airport operations by repurposing these confiscated items. This initiative reiterates the power of resource redistribution and shows the impact of security measures in significantly contributing to humanitarian efforts.
This South Korean effort has become a prototype for other airports to turn travel restrictions into community support and kindness opportunities.