The Culprit Who Repeatedly Canceled Tickets 33 Times While Enjoying First-Class Benefits Is a Government Official

Ministry of Industry Official Repeatedly Traveled 33 Times Since 2018
First-Class Seats Purchased Separately... Departure on Different Tickets

A public official affiliated with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, suspected of repeatedly purchasing first-class airline tickets at the airport departure hall, using only the exclusive lounge, and then canceling the tickets, is set to undergo prosecution investigation.

On the 13th, News1 reported that the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office is conducting an investigation into public official A from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on charges of fraud and obstruction of business. A is suspected of disrupting airline operations by purchasing first-class tickets on Korean Air 33 times from 2018 to last year, using only the lounge benefits without boarding, and then canceling the tickets.

Travelers visiting Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 are lining up to move to the boarding area. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Korean Air stated that according to the investigation, A passed the departure inspection with a ticket actually intended for use and then purchased an additional first-class ticket in the duty-free area. A repeatedly used only the first-class passenger exclusive lounge and then canceled the first-class ticket over several years. Regarding this, Korean Air explained, "In the case of first-class tickets, cancellations on the same day after purchase often do not incur cancellation fees, which A exploited." Due to A’s actions, Korean Air newly established regulations on first-class ticket cancellation fees and lounge penalty fees of up to approximately 500,000 KRW.

The police station originally in charge of this case decided not to prosecute A, but Korean Air filed an objection, and the investigation is currently underway at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office. An official from the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office told News1, "The investigation is ongoing due to Korean Air’s objection," and added, "We cannot disclose detailed information." A Korean Air representative stated, "There have been other similar abuse cases besides A, which were detected during the investigation," and explained, "This is a deliberate and habitual abuse of a system that does not impose cancellation fees to protect consumer rights, causing financial damage and obstruction of business to the airline."

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