■ The Airport, a Place of Waiting and Excitement
The image that comes to mind when one thinks of an airport is a space for meeting and parting, a place of longing for the unknown world, and a place where one anticipates reuniting. The airport is a space that is filled with excitement, curiosity, and a mixture of diverse cultures and races, beyond just being a space for briefly staying before departing or arriving overseas.
Alain de Botton, in his book "A Week at the Airport," Alan de Botton's "A Week at the Airport," translated by Jeong Young-mok, published by Cheong Mirae
in 2009.
suggests that the happiest moment of a trip abroad may be the time spent waiting for the airplane at the airport. With the subtitle "The Heathrow Diaries," the book takes readers on a journey with the author's wit and wisdom, from departure to departure gates and arrival lounges, revealing that the place where farewells take place can have deeper meaning than what we generally imagine. The book was translated by Jung Young-mok and published by Cheongmirae in 2009.
In the summer of 2009, an official from Heathrow Airport in London called Alain de Botton to invite him to be the airport's first resident writer. The airport had recently become interested in literature and had decided to invite a writer to stay in the terminal, which was a hub for passengers between two runways, for a week.
Alain de Botton, the coolly named first resident writer of Heathrow Airport, stayed at the airport for a week with famous documentary photographer Richard Baker, resulting in the writing of this book. The author shares stories related to the airport, including interviews with airline employees, baggage handlers, security personnel, airport bookstore owners, pilots, couples experiencing separation, and families eagerly waiting for reunions. Additionally, the book sheds light on areas of the airport that ordinary travelers do not have easy access to, such as the cockpit, cabin crew workspace, kitchen where in-flight meals are prepared, and spaces beyond the gates.
The author states, "The airport is like a small world that embodies all of humanity's sensitivity and imagination, a space where meetings and farewells take place. If we were to bring an alien from Mars, shouldn't we show them the airport first?
A dazzling marketing pamphlet can be a very effective promotional tool in some ways, but it cannot convey the authenticity that can be achieved through the voice of a single author. The fact that the Hydro Airport invited a resident writer to combine the literary world with the commercial world of the airport by publishing this book, thereby creating an opportunity to naturally introduce Hydro Airport to people all over the world, provides us with a lesson. Park Gil-nam, "Multiculturalism Flowing Like Rainwater to Become a River," Bookstar (The Book), 2014, pp. 181-182

On the other hand, there is a movie set in an airport called "Terminal." The plot of the movie is as follows: Viktor Navorski (played by Tom Hanks), a citizen of the fictional small country of Krakozhia in Eastern Europe, arrives at New York's JFK Airport on a plane. He learns from an immigration officer that there is a problem with his passport, which he thought he had successfully passed through immigration. While he was on the plane, there was a coup in his country of Krakozhia, which temporarily became a ghost country, making Navorski stateless and unable to leave the JFK Airport transit area with his invalid passport.
Without any money for currency exchange and not knowing how to speak English, Navorski starts to get to know the airport staff during his months-long stay in the transit area. As he learns English and enjoys a romance with a chance encounter with a stewardess, he learns how to survive alone while adapting to airport life, even serving as an interpreter in emergency situations later on. JFK Airport gradually becomes his comfortable mansion as time goes by. However, like everyone else, he has to leave the airport. Where will he go? This is a humanistic film that allows us to glimpse into the actions and mindset of a person who is inevitably given the time to wait at the airport.
At the entrance to the departure lounge on the third floor of Incheon Airport, there is a flood of farewell greetings from countless people from around the world, including "Goodbye," "Have a safe trip," "Goodbye," "Sayonara," "Adieu," "Adios," "Arrivederci," "Dosvedanya," and "Zaijian," from early morning
√ "Goodbye," which gives a refreshing yet bittersweet feeling in English.
√ "Sayonara," which gives a warm and affectionate feeling in Japanese.
√ "Adieu," which leaves a somewhat melancholic impression in French.
√ "Arrivederci," which gives the sense of bidding a regretful farewell with tears in Italian.
√ "Zaijian," which gives off a masculine and resounding impression in Chinese. "Dasvidaniya," which evokes a poignant farewell with someone departing on a trans-Siberian train on a snowy day in Russian.
Incheon Airport can be considered a place where the phrases "會者定離 (he who meets will part)" and "去者必返 (those who leave will return)" are repeated amidst countless people's farewells. This means that even though people go their separate ways, they will eventually be able to meet again. Park Kil-nam, The Book, pp. 182-183.

■ Current Status of Incheon International Airport
According to the government policy of nurturing Incheon Airport as a hub airport for Northeast Asia, it opened its doors on March 29, 2001 and is now in its 22nd year of operation. According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice, the number of domestic and foreign travelers who entered and exited the country through airports nationwide as of the end of December 2022 was over 19.4 million, an increase of more than 10% from the previous year. Of these, the number of domestic and foreign travelers who entered and exited through Incheon Airport, Korea’s primary gateway, accounted for 72 % of all travelers, reaching 64 million people. This means that on average, approximately 180,000 domestic and foreign travelers enter or leave Korea through Incheon Airport each day.
Generally, the immigration process in countries around the world is carried out by the three major agencies of Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine, also known as CIQ. In the case of Korea, Customs, which is under the jurisdiction of the Korea Customs Service, inspects whether travelers are carrying more than the regulated amount of dollars, prohibited export-import goods, or taxable items. In other words, Customs is responsible for examining travelers' belongings, cracking down on smuggling and drug offenses, and handling customs clearance procedures for export-import goods.
Immigration, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, comprehensively assesses the validity of passports and visas for domestic and foreign travelers entering and leaving Korea. It determines whether there are concerns that their entry and exit could harm Korea's interests and public safety. Immigration is responsible for managing and controlling the entry and exit of people who may pose such risks.
Quarantine for travelers is managed by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, while quarantine for animals and plants is managed by the National Animal Quarantine Service, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The quarantine office at Incheon Airport run by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention performs quarantine and vaccination for crew members and passengers of ships and aircraft to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as cholera and plague. The Incheon Airport Branch of the National Animal Quarantine Service conducts animal quarantine. The CIQ agencies stationed at the airport work together to enhance border control in cases of transnational issues such as illegal immigration, smuggling and drug offenses, and emerging infectious diseases.


In "What Makes Incheon Airport Different?" authored by KMAC, the leading management consulting organization in Korea, a behind-the-scenes story is revealed about the destiny of Yeongjong Island, where the airport is located. Previously known as "Jayeondo," the area where Incheon Airport now stands was considered a strategic military location on the western coast and served as a gateway to the capital during the reign of King Hyojong, the 17th king of the Joseon Dynasty. In recognition of its military significance, the "Yeongjongdo Manho," the military commander stationed in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was relocated to Jayeondo, which was then renamed Yeongjongdo. The name "Jayeondo" means "island of purple swallows," as it was a place where many purple swallows flew, while "Yeongjongdo" means "island with a long runway," which hints at the airport runway. Thus, the name change reflects the relocation of the military commander to the island with a long runway where many airplanes, represented by purple swallows, could take off and land. KMAC 2010 Publication P. 44 “ What Makes Incheon Airport Different”



According to Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), Incheon Airport houses over 1,000 resident agencies, cooperating organizations, and commercial facilities, including Customs, Immigration, Quarantine (CIQ) agencies, IIAC, Airport Police, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, duty-free shops, and restaurants. Additionally, the number of resident employees, including CIQ officials, airline staff, security screeners, duty-free employees, restaurant workers, and environmental beautifiers, reaches over 60,000.

■ Case Study of Innovation in the Incheon Airport Immigration System
Despite receiving high evaluations for its hardware, including facilities and equipment, since its opening in 2001, Incheon Airport received low evaluations for its software, including airport services. In 2004, Incheon Airport ranked 16th out of 45 major international airports in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey, which led to the conclusion that its customer satisfaction level was significantly lower than that of other Northeast Asian competitor airports, such as Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok Airport (ranked 1st) and Singapore's Changi Airport (ranked 5th).
In response, the government designated Incheon Airport as a leading innovator in immigration control in 2005 and established a T/F team to promote innovative immigration policies that would improve customer satisfaction and enhance national competitiveness through the streamlining of immigration procedures. At the time, the vision for immigration policy innovation was to establish the world's best immigration control system, and the mission was to create customer delight through prompt and friendly immigration control as well as enhance national competitiveness through the streamlining of immigration procedures.
To achieve efficiency and scientific innovation in immigration control, Incheon Airport implemented the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS). Prior to the implementation of the IBMS, passport information was manually input by immigration officers, but with the implementation of the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) system, immigration control and record accuracy have improved significantly. In addition, the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) was introduced to allow for the analysis of necessary information, such as personal information of incoming passengers, before the aircraft arrives in Korea, thereby enabling the early detection of international terrorists and other criminals who pose a threat to national interests. Furthermore, fingerprint and facial recognition were utilized in immigration control to facilitate the detection of passport counterfeiters and other illegal foreigners, and real-time sharing of Interpol's database on lost or stolen passports helped to streamline immigration control and enhance border management. "The Ministry of Justice and Busan National University, "2014 Economic Development Experience Modularization Project: Innovation of Immigration Policy in Entry and Exit Examination," pages 16-22."

Below, we will examine the innovative policies of Incheon Airport's immigration control in detail. First, a computer program for immigration control support was developed to efficiently allocate immigration control officers by predicting passenger congestion times and locations. Based on this program, the fixed work system of departure and arrival immigration controls, which had been operated separately, was changed to a mobile team system with 20 teams of about 10 immigration control officers each, who move around to directly serve passengers in crowded areas.
Before the shift to a mobile team system, Incheon Airport had maintained a fixed work system for the past 50 years, in which immigration officers in charge of departure and arrival controls worked separately. For example, because passenger congestion times were different for arrivals and departures, even if someone waiting in line for departure immigration control stood there for a long time, immigration officers responsible for arrival control could only stare blankly at their empty booths. Therefore, the fixed work system had problems in terms of efficiency. By integrating the work system of departure and arrival immigration controls and switching to a mobile work system that focuses on deploying immigration officers in the immigration control area according to passenger congestion times, a reduction in immigration control time of more than 30% was achieved without increasing the number of immigration officers.
Secondly, a Machine Readable Passport (MRP) system was introduced. Prior to the introduction of the automated passport reader, immigration officers had to enter passenger names and dates of birth on a keyboard to search for immigration regulations and other information. Additionally, passengers were required to complete an immigration declaration (E/D card) with their personal information to be used for statistical analysis and policy data. Particularly, when checking the personal information on immigration declarations submitted by passengers entering from countries like Thailand or the Middle East, it was found that misspellings and errors in their names were common.
If the records of entry and exit did not match, the person would be recorded as an illegal resident on the immigration record. Therefore, immigration officers had to check and correct passport and immigration declaration information one by one in a short amount of time. As a result, the immigration control time per passenger took an average of 2-3 minutes. The introduction of the MRP system enabled automatic recognition of passenger information from passports by the passport reader, not only facilitating immigration regulation checks but also automatically storing immigration records, leading to a significant reduction in immigration control time.
Third, the Incheon International Airport Immigration Office introduced the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) to cope with the global terrorist threat that has been increasing since the 9/11 terrorist attack. This system receives a list of passengers in advance before the aircraft arrives in Korea, analyzes the identity of the passengers at the Information Analysis Division of Incheon Airport Immigration, and uses the result for immigration screening to prevent harm to the national interest, such as terrorists or international criminals. It is a state-of-the-art border management system that can block the entry of foreigners in advance. "Park Gil-nam, The Book, pages 196-200."

Fourth, the Immigration Control Authority of the Ministry of Justice promoted the‘branding of immigration inspection’ in order to have a name worthy of the world’s best immigration inspection.


        “Until I call his name
        He was just a gesture.
        when I called his name
        He came to me and became a flower.”
This is a phrase from by poet Kim Chun-soo.

Brand Design and Meaning of Immigration Inspection: KISS

• By representing a smiling eye shape reminiscent of a traditional Korean mask, it forms an image of a friendly and comfortable immigration inspection experience in Korea.
• The colors black, red, and blue reflect the symbolism and ideology of the Taegeuk, which represents Korea.
• To overcome the natural linguistic meaning of the word "KISS" and to convey a new meaning as an immigration inspection brand to customers, the subtitle "Korea Immigration Smart Service" is displayed beneath the KISS logo.

(Source: Immigration Headquarters for Foreigners)

Prior to having the brand 'KISS', Korea's immigration inspection was just one of the administrative acts called immigration inspection for people entering and exiting the Republic of Korea. The Ministry of Justice, while promoting the branding of immigration control, set the brand vision as ‘Let’s instill the perception that Korea’s immigration control service is the best in the world’ among Koreans and citizens of all countries around the world. As for the brand mission, ‘Let’s deliver a lasting impression in the memory of customers through innovation in the immigration control system and process’.
After setting such a vision and mission, KISS, which was created by combining the first letters of Korea Immigration Smart Service, was born as an innovative brand for immigration control in Korea through a public contest and screening through the website of the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice. Among those who have recently traveled abroad, they are amazed at how fast and convenient immigration procedures in Korea have become, and some people jokingly say, “Have you ever received a KISS (Korea Immigration Smart Service)?”
Meanwhile, thanks to the promotion of the innovative immigration control system by the immigration authorities of the Ministry of Justice, KISS won the 'UN Public Administration Award' in 2007, which boasts the world's highest authority in the field of public administration. This can be seen as having great significance in that the UN officially recognized the achievements of the Korean government's innovation that created the world's best immigration service through innovation in the immigration screening system. In addition, thanks to innovation in the field of immigration control, Incheon Airport has been awarded the ASQ (Airport Service Quality) award annually conducted by the Airports Council International (ACI), a consultative body of 1,700 airports around the world, from 2005 to 2016. The first in the world for 12 consecutive years.

■ Background of the Scientification of Immigration Control at Incheon International Airport
The word “tipis” refers to an American Indian tent. The Indians who lived in the Great Plains of North America gathered several long wooden sticks, set up poles, and wrapped buffalo skins around the perimeter to make a conical tent. The Indians settled in this tent house and held a meeting of the chiefs. Many people would be puzzled by the fact that today's scientificization of immigration control at Incheon International Airport was born from the “TIPIS”. “TIPIS” is an abbreviation for Technologic Infrastructure for Processed Immigration Service and refers to the scientificization of immigration service. This refers to a comprehensive plan to change the paradigm of the immigration screening system by incorporating biometric information such as fingerprints and faces and passenger information into immigration screening.


Source: Wikipidia, Karl Bodmer (1809-1893) - Watercolor on paper by Karl Bodmer from his travel to the U.S. 1832-1834.


A “Tipis”, an American Indian tent, can be quickly built and quickly demolished, so it can respond promptly to environmental changes. In addition, since the “Tipis” is a dwelling for nomads, it has the characteristic of immigration, so there is a part related to immigration work at the airport. In this way, “Tipis” started with the recognition that it is necessary to analyze information on immigration and transit passengers in advance to efficiently cope with the era of mass immigration and strengthen border management. Incheon International Airport Immigration Office, 『60 Years of Immigration Control in Korea』, 2014. pp. 163-166

Incheon International Airport Immigration is equipped with an automatic passport reading system, a passenger information pre-analysis system, a finger print recognition system, an automatic immigration system, etc. for efficient and scientific immigration inspection.

■ Importance of Immigration
The 9/11 terrorist attack in New York in 2001 made us aware of the importance of immigration screening for foreigners. On the day of the 9.11 New York terrorist attack, the immigration authorities of Korea’s Ministry of Justice convened an emergency executive meeting and entered into strengthened immigration screening only at the nationwide airports. Korea has strengthened its immigration regulator search and counterfeit passport review.
At the time of the Seoul Olympics, the immigration authorities of the Ministry of Justice established a close cooperation system with immigration authorities such as the United States and Japan to prevent international terrorism and analyzed data on the identity information of about 6,000 international terrorism suspects and the trends of about 600 international terrorist organizations. Owing to the use of the data for immigration screening, it has contributed to the successful hosting of the Seoul Olympic Games. Incheon International Airport Immigration Office, 『60 Years of Immigration Control in Korea』, 2014. p. 157

At that time, what would have happened if international terrorists had infiltrated the country and committed terrorism, and hooligans had invaded the stadium and exercised violence? Perhaps the whole country would go into an emergency, and the Seoul Olympics would be ruined. In addition, if people who are banned from leaving the country for committing violent crimes or evading a large amount of national taxes secretly leave the country by forging their passports, a serious problem can happen in the national security system. In this way, immigration officers in charge of immigration inspection are performing an important duty as border guards responsible for national security at the forefront of airports.
In today's era of mass immigration, Korea is able to provide swift and convenient immigration services, such as reduced waiting times for good aliens visiting Korea. At the same time, it has improved the country's image and highlighted the necessity to adopt an automated immigration screening system using information and communication technology (ICT). In addition, in order to strengthen border management after September 11, 2001, it was necessary to introduce various border management measures to block foreigners who threatened national security and border security, such as international terrorists and criminals.
Immigration inspection, as one of the areas of immigration control administration, not only plays a role in forming the image of the country and determining the level of administrative service, but also plays an important role in determining customer satisfaction with the airport. The core ideology of the immigration administration is to achieve two goals in harmony: to promote border movement through quick and convenient immigration for good foreigners such as tourists, businessmen, and investors, and to block such aliens as terrorists who can harm national security through a strict immigration inspection system.

■ Automatic Immigration Control System
On September 9, 1999, the Financial Times published an interesting article about ‘check-in at an international airport in 20 years’. When a passenger parks a car near an international airport, an electronic induction device recognizes his or her identity, issues a boarding pass, and displays the fastest possible gate on the monitor. This is called the ‘car-park check-in’ system. When passengers enter the immigration control center of an international airport, they pass through an unmanned automatic immigration checkpoint equipped with an automatic passport reader that can automatically read biometric information such as fingerprints or faces registered at the immigration registration center. The contents of this article, which was published 20 years ago, are not imaginary but are actually being carried out at the immigration checkpoint of Incheon International Airport.
Smart Entry Service refers to a screening method that ends immigration screening through identity verification, such as fingerprint and face verification, at the automated immigration checkpoint using state-of-the-art information technology. Korea has introduced and operated the automatic immigration control system since June 2008 to accept the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to simplify immigration procedures and establish an efficient immigration control system.
The Incheon Airport immigration control center is crowded with people who want to go abroad since early morning. Immigration officers conduct face-to-face screening of each passenger, which inevitably lengthens the waiting time. However, if you use the unmanned immigration checkpoint that looks like a cash machine during rush hour when it is crowded with passengers, you can go through the passport, fingerprint, and face checks, finish the immigration process in less than 10 seconds, and exit as if you were going through the ticket gate of a subway station. In addition, the psychological burden of the face-to-face examination of immigration inspectors can be reduced, and the immigration examination that seals the passport will also be omitted.
Meanwhile, the following people can use the automated immigration checkpoint without pre-registering. ① Citizens of the Republic of Korea aged 17 or older with resident registration (citizens aged 7 to 17 with resident registration can use it after prior registration), ② Foreigners aged 17 or older who have registered as foreigners under the Immigration Control Act, ③ Those who are 17 years of age or older who have reported their residence in Korea under the Overseas Koreans Act.
Until now, registered foreigners and foreign nationality Koreans who have reported their domestic residence had to visit the automated immigration registration center located on the 3rd floor of Incheon International Airport and register in advance when they wanted to use the automated immigration checkpoint. You can use the automated immigration checkpoint without any formalities. However, for safe border management, etc., the following persons must go through the pre-registration procedure, use the automated immigration checkpoint, or undergo face-to-face screening by an immigration officer. Based on the date of using the automated immigration checkpoint, ▴if the expiration date of the Period of Residence is less than one month, ▴if the personal information on the passport is different from the information on foreigner registration and domestic residence, ▴in case of immigration restrictions such as suspension of departure, ▴in of difficulty occurs to identify yourself due to unclear fingerprints or photos, etc.,▴in case of a face-to-face examination of other immigration officials, such as criminal offenders, is necessary, an automatic immigration examination team shall be used through a pre-registration process or a face-to-face examination by an immigration inspector.

< How to Use the Automated Immigration Checkpoint >
First, when you arrive at the automated immigration checkpoint, open the personal information page of your passport, and place it on the passport reader.
Second, when the automatic immigration checkpoint opens, go inside, and place your right index finger on the fingerprint reader, and look at the camera for face recognition.
Third, when the screening completion message appears, you can exit the automatic immigration checkpoint. The automated immigration control service makes boarding a plane as quick and convenient as taking the subway, so it is especially convenient for those who frequently go abroad for business trips or travel.
The method of using the automated immigration checkpoint is as shown in