Dismissal of Incheon Airport Corporation President Koo Bon-hwan Underway... Internal Conflict Over Direct Employment Continues

Ministry of Land Faces Dismissal Push Amid Various Allegations... Regularization Schedule Delayed Amid Internal Conflicts

On the 18th, the departure hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport was deserted due to the impact of COVID-19, as the aviation industry, hit hard by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), faces a wave of layoffs. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] As the government pushes for the dismissal of Koo Bon-hwan, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, the 'In-guk-gong Incident' triggered by the direct employment of non-regular workers is entering a new phase. While the prevailing interpretation is that this is essentially an attempt to 'calm the incident,' conflicts among stakeholders over the direct employment and regularization remain unresolved, leading to expectations that internal turmoil will continue for some time.

According to the aviation industry and authorities on the 16th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently requested the Ministry of Economy and Finance to convene the Public Institution Management Committee (PIMC) to discuss the dismissal of President Koo. The Ministry of Economy and Finance is expected to hold the PIMC meeting in the latter half of next week to discuss the dismissal proposal. If the dismissal is approved, President Koo will resign midway after about 17 months in office. This would be the first dishonorable resignation case since the establishment of Incheon Airport Corporation, excluding cases related to election candidacy.

The reason the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is pushing for President Koo’s dismissal is due to various allegations surrounding him. During the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee’s audit last year amid Typhoon Mitag, President Koo left early citing typhoon preparations, but controversy arose when it was confirmed that he used a corporate card at a restaurant in Anyang City, Gyeonggi Province, where his residence is located. Recently, he has also been suspected of abusing personnel authority.

However, inside and outside the airport, many interpret the push for President Koo’s dismissal not as a matter of personal misconduct but as an attempt to quell the In-guk-gong Incident. Incheon Airport Corporation suffered significant turmoil when it decided in June to regularize 1,902 security screening personnel through direct employment to complete the non-regular worker regularization process initiated during former President Jung Il-young’s tenure (currently a member of the Democratic Party of Korea). The controversy escalated into what is called the In-guk-gong Incident, spreading to job seekers and political circles. Analysts view the dismissal move as a scapegoating tactic to resolve the incident.

President Koo himself expresses some sense of unfairness regarding the dismissal push. The corporation stated regarding the corporate card controversy during Typhoon Mitag, "We considered establishing an emergency response headquarters for typhoon preparations during the absence, but due to an analysis that the typhoon’s impact would be minimal, we decided to remain on standby instead of operating the headquarters," adding, "This matter has already been clarified." President Koo is scheduled to hold a press conference this afternoon to express his position.

There is also criticism within the airport that this is scapegoating. An airport official said, "The regularization of non-regular workers has been a matter promoted at the government level since former President Jung Il-young’s tenure, so President Koo was merely in charge of cleaning up," adding, "Isn’t this just passing the buck?"

Although the In-guk-gong Incident has entered a new phase, internal conflicts over the direct employment and regularization of security screening personnel show no signs of resolution. Incheon Airport Corporation planned to complete the regularization process by early next year in the following order: ▲consulting task force (TF) advisory on recruitment procedures ▲selection of recruitment agency ▲job announcement ▲document screening ▲eligibility review and written test ▲interview ▲appointment. However, both regular and non-regular workers are opposing, causing delays from the very first step.

Currently, the consulting TF, which includes labor unions, Incheon Airport Corporation, and experts, is facing refusal from the Incheon Airport regular workers’ union and some security screening unions to participate. Gong Min-cheon, chairman of the Incheon Airport Security Screening Service Union, criticized, "If we participate in the TF, it is highly likely that direct employment will be forcibly pushed forward under that pretext." If President Koo steps down midway, this schedule itself could be further delayed. An industry insider noted, "It may take at least three months to appoint a new president," adding, "It is doubtful whether the existing management will push forward with such a burdensome issue."

Meanwhile, due to the large-scale suspension of flights caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Incheon Airport Corporation’s performance outlook is worsening day by day. The deficit forecast, estimated at 324.4 billion KRW in the first half of the year, expanded to 434.8 billion KRW as of August. A corporation official said, "As various usage fees for duty-free shops, airlines, and other tenants continue to be waived, the deficit is expected to widen further toward the end of the year," adding, "With the In-guk-gong Incident and the plummeting performance outlook, there are concerns about this year’s public institution management evaluation."

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