The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport ordered the Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) to postpone applying its planned overhaul of the valet parking service until February next year. It also told the corporation to put passenger convenience first and reexamine new alternatives.
On the 22nd, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said, "Postpone applying the valet parking service overhaul that the Incheon airport corporation planned to implement from January next year until February next year, and actively review alternatives that comprehensively consider passenger expense burden and departure flows." This is a follow-up measure after the presidential office on the same day ordered a review of whether the process of selecting operators and changing services was appropriate.
The Incheon airport corporation has been pushing a plan to split the Terminal 1 valet parking service into "premium" and "standard." The premium option would receive vehicles at the Terminal 1 ground parking lot. The plan was to raise the fee from 20,000 won to 40,000 won. The standard service would move the vehicle handover location to an outer parking lot near Sky Garden.
Under the airport's plan, the handover location would be about 4 kilometers farther than now. The shuttle travel time was set at about 10 minutes. The shuttle interval was presented at the 10–15 minute level.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) expressed concern about winter peak-season disruptions. MOLIT ordered the corporation to provide valet parking services at the Terminal 1 underground parking lot in the current manner until February next year. MOLIT said, "We will guide and oversee airport facility operations with user convenience and safety as the top values."
Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik at a senior secretaries' meeting that day mentioned criticism that the Incheon airport valet parking service would change in a "more expensive and more inconvenient" direction. The presidential office instructed, in consultation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), a review of whether the process of selecting operators and changing services was fair and transparent.