Court Suspends Dismissal of Incheon Airport CEO Koo Bon-hwan... Presidential Appeal Dismissed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The court has once again ruled to suspend the disciplinary action against Gu Bon-hwan, former President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, who was dismissed due to inadequate typhoon response.

On the 4th, the Administrative Division 3 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Lee Sang-joo, Kwon Soon-yeol, and Pyo Hyun-duk) dismissed the appeal filed by the Moon Jae-in administration against the Seoul Administrative Court's decision to suspend the dismissal of former President Gu. The Seoul High Court stated, "There is a concern that the applicant may suffer irreparable damage due to this disposition, and it is recognized that there is an urgent need to prevent this." It further explained, "It is difficult to see that suspending the execution of the disposition would have a significant impact on public welfare."

Former President Gu left the National Assembly hearing on October 2, 2019, the day of the typhoon, to prepare for the storm, but controversy arose when it was revealed that he used a corporate card at a barbecue restaurant near his residence, far from Incheon Airport. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recommended Gu's dismissal, and the Public Institution Management Committee under the Ministry of Strategy and Finance submitted and approved the dismissal proposal. The dismissal was finalized in September 2020 with the approval of President Moon Jae-in. In response, former President Gu filed an administrative lawsuit, claiming that the audit procedures were illegal as Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport officials entered his residence on Yeongjongdo without a warrant and effectively conducted a search and seizure, winning the first trial in November last year. President Moon appealed this decision, and the second trial is pending.

After winning the main lawsuit, former President Gu's request for suspension of execution was also accepted by the Seoul Administrative Court, and he has been provisionally reinstated. However, the corporation's operations are currently managed under a "joint representative" system according to commercial law, with the existing President Kim Kyung-wook in charge.

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