With Korea's Labor Day holiday overlapping with Japan's Golden Week, congestion is expected at Incheon International Airport from the 30th to May 5. The Ministry of Justice prepared special measures to prevent crowding at the immigration halls.
The Ministry of Justice said on the 29th that it will implement a "special duty plan for immigration screening" from Apr. 30 to May 5.
According to Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), the number of international passengers during this period is expected to be about 1.3 million, up 2.6% from the same period a year earlier, with a daily average of 215,000.
In Korea, Labor Day (May 1) and Children's Day (May 5), newly designated as public holidays this year, are days off, so if you take just May 4 off, it becomes a five-day break. In Japan, public holidays cluster during Golden Week (Apr. 29–May 10), traditionally a period of strong demand for overseas travel. A survey by major Japanese travel agency HIS found Seoul the most popular destination, with Jeju ranked fifth and Busan sixth.
From Apr. 30 to May 2, when outbound passengers are concentrated, the Ministry of Justice will open the main departure immigration checkpoints at Terminals 1 and 2 of Incheon International Airport 30 minutes early. It will also deploy a special mobile team (20 people per day) and an emergency standby team (10 people per day) at the checkpoints to support faster immigration screening.
During time slots when passenger crowding is expected, inspectors will report early to the immigration checkpoints to open as many counters as possible. The number of supervisors monitoring passenger flow to prevent congestion will also be increased.
Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Ministry of Justice said, "To provide 'high-quality immigration services for the public and a first impression that makes foreigners want to return' during this holiday period, we will mobilize all administrative capabilities for immigration screening," adding, "We will steadily increase the insufficient immigration screening workforce."