[Choice Times=Seollae Kim, Staff Reporter]

Lee Hak-jae, president of Incheon International Airport Corporation, who became the subject of public attention after being embarrassed by President Lee Jae-myung with the remark, “You talk far too much,” has attempted a direct counter-response just two days later.

On the 14th, Lee posted a statement on his social media account, beginning with the words: “Incheon Airport is home to some of the world’s top aviation experts who work tirelessly. I hesitated to write this, worried that last Friday’s commotion might lead the public to mistakenly believe that Incheon Airport is an incompetent organization.”

Referring to the criticism he received from President Lee during the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s policy briefing—remarks such as “You’re just reading what was written for you,” “When does your term end?” and “You don’t even understand your own work”—Lee said, in a roundabout way, that many of his acquaintances seemed to interpret the incident as a signal that he was being told to “step aside.”

Regarding the president’s question about foreign currency smuggling—specifically, hiding multiple 100-dollar bills inside a book—Lee explained that “illegal foreign currency smuggling falls under the jurisdiction of Customs, while Incheon Airport Corporation’s security screening focuses on dangerous items such as knives, awls, firearms, lighters, and liquids.”

Lee also expressed concern that “because of the president’s remarks, the fact that hiding dollars in a book may not be detected by security screening has now become widely known,” adding that “implementing the president’s suggested solution of 100 percent manual inspection of all carry-on baggage would paralyze the airport.”

He further addressed the president’s questioning and criticism regarding demand forecasts and prospects for Egypt’s Hurghada Airport, saying, “The president wanted to know everything, but it is not possible to conduct demand surveys for a project that has not even been put out to tender yet. I myself have not received a report on it.”

Below is the full text of Lee Hak-jae’s social media post:

“Since last Friday, I have received countless calls from acquaintances over the weekend. Those who watched President Lee Jae-myung’s criticism of me seemed to interpret it as a message that I should ‘step down.’

I hesitated to post this because Incheon Airport is staffed by some of the world’s best aviation experts, and I was concerned that last Friday’s incident might lead the public to mistakenly view the airport as an incompetent organization.

During the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport briefing last Friday, I was criticized by the president with remarks such as ‘You’re just reading what was written,’ ‘When does your term end?’ and ‘You don’t even understand your work.’ These criticisms centered on two issues.

First, the question of whether it is possible to detect multiple 100-dollar bills hidden inside a book in connection with illegal foreign currency smuggling.

I was flustered and unable to respond properly at the time.

Illegal foreign currency smuggling is the responsibility of Customs, while Incheon Airport Corporation’s screening duties focus on dangerous items such as knives, awls, firearms, lighters, and liquids. If illegal currency is discovered during security screening, it is handed over to Customs.

To my knowledge, even employees who have worked at Incheon Airport for 30 years would not know whether dollars hidden in a book can be detected unless they are directly involved in security screening.

What is concerning is that this incident has now made it widely known that hiding dollars in a book may not be detected. Implementing the president’s proposed solution of 100 percent manual inspection of carry-on baggage would paralyze the airport.

We will consult with Customs to see if there is a better solution.

Second, regarding the bidding process for Hurghada Airport in Egypt.

The president asked about demand and prospects for Hurghada Airport, but I was unable to provide detailed answers and explained that we are still in the early stages of preparing for a potential bid, as no tender has yet been announced.

The president may have wanted to know everything, but it is not possible to conduct demand forecasts for a project that has not yet been put out to bid, and I have not yet received a report on it.

Once the tender notice is issued, we will allocate a budget to conduct demand forecasts and prepare thoroughly for the bid. If the project is deemed viable, we will do our utmost to secure it.

For reference, Incheon Airport is known for achieving outstanding technical scores—particularly in documentation and preparation—in evaluations for overseas airport export projects.”

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