Lee Hak-jae, president of Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), tendered his resignation on the 24th, about four months before his term ends. Lee said at a press briefing on the 25th that he had "been under pressure to resign since November last year" and that he "will not run in the June 3 local elections."
Lee said, "Resigning now is, as president of Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), the last act of fulfilling the president's role for the airport and for the executives and employees." He added, "Because of me, an absurd gale swept through the organization, and when there was pressure to resign in November last year, I did not take it seriously, but it kept intensifying and employees are actually being harmed."
Lee said, "I am not considering running in the local elections at all," adding, "I make it clear that the (president) resignation is unrelated to a run." He offered the clarification after some claimed he would run as the People Power Party's candidate for Incheon mayor.
Earlier, during the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's work report last year, Lee argued with President Lee Jae-myung over airport security screening procedures. At the time, the president asked, "Is it true that if you tuck a $100 bill like a bookmark, it won't be caught by (airport screening)?" When Lee could not answer immediately and tried to respond while looking at written materials, the president pointed out, "Please don't just read what was written for you."
Lee later criticized on his social media that "because of this incident, the 'fact that hiding dollars in a bookmark won't be detected' became known to the whole world." He also held a press conference and said, "Full unpacking inspections fall within the jurisdiction of the Korea Customs Service and are not a matter for the airport to organize and implement." Afterward, a complaint was filed alleging that Lee abused his personnel authority to strip some department heads of their positions, and police have launched an investigation.