High-Level US-Korea Aviation Security Phone Call... Strengthening Joint Efforts for Demand Recovery

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Senior officials in the aviation policy sectors of South Korea and the United States have agreed to work together to restore demand in the air transportation industry, which has been struggling due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) on the 10th, on the 7th, Kim Sang-do, Director of the Aviation Policy Office at MOLIT, held a phone call with Davi Razo, Chief of Security at the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), at the request of the United States, and announced that they agreed to cooperate closely to overcome COVID-19.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is an organization under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading aviation security policies such as additional security screenings for flights bound for the U.S. after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

During the call, Director Kim provided detailed explanations of South Korea’s COVID-19 response in the aviation sector. He emphasized, "Despite the unprecedented infectious disease crisis, the smooth operation of air routes between South Korea and the U.S. without suspension was possible due to the special cooperation between the two countries," adding, "Joint efforts by both countries to normalize air transportation are more important than ever."

In response, Davi Razo, Chief of Security, explained that the South Korean government and people's response serves as a model for other countries and requested MOLIT’s cooperation in planning for the recovery of U.S. air passenger demand in the future.

South Korea and the U.S. agreed to promptly advance mutual recognition of aviation security systems to exempt security interviews and additional screenings for passengers bound for the U.S. This system recognizes the counterpart’s security system as equivalent to one’s own after on-site inspections, and once implemented, it is expected to significantly reduce random screenings of passengers traveling to the U.S.

Additionally, both countries emphasized that staff exchanges in the aviation security sector between South Korea and the U.S. have become a symbol of bilateral cooperation and a model case for other countries, and agreed to regularize mutual staff dispatches.

Kim Sang-do, Director of the Aviation Policy Office at MOLIT, stated, "We were able to share a cooperative stance between the aviation security authorities of both countries regarding overcoming COVID-19," and added, "Based on this, we expect it will greatly help in producing tangible results such as mutual recognition of aviation security systems in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.