According to the Korea Times on February 5, in 2024 alone, Incheon Airport confiscated dozens of tons of food from passengers' luggage due to violating airport regulations.
The confiscated "items" were not only ordinary bottles of water and tubes of skin cream, but also included kimchi - the national dish of Korea, rice - a staple food in daily meals, and fermented sauce - an indispensable spice in many traditional dishes.
It is known that this amount of sauce has caused kimchi to be classified as a liquid and therefore cannot be brought on a plane.
Last year, a staggering 10.7 tonnes of kimchi were confiscated from passengers' luggage at Incheon International Airport (ICN). Kimchi, a traditional Korean dish, is often packaged in plastic bottles or plastic bags containing a signature spicy sauce. It is this amount of sauce that makes kimchi "classified" as a liquid, and therefore not allowed on planes as carry-on luggage if it exceeds the 100ml limit.
This regulation does not only apply to Incheon Airport but is also a general rule of many international airports around the world. The purpose is to ensure flight safety, avoiding the risk of liquid leakage or unsafe use. However, for many Koreans, kimchi is not only a dish, but also a part of culture, a taste of home that they want to bring with them when traveling far away. Therefore, despite knowing the regulations, many people still try to "circumvent the law" by carefully packaging kimchi, hoping to fool security personnel.
Last year, Incheon International Airport confiscated 10.5 tons of jang, a term used to describe a variety of traditional fermented sauces and pastes. A popular travel content creator in South Korea uploaded a YouTube video reminding people that kimchi must be placed in checked baggage. The video has since been viewed 1.2 million times.
Many people have spoken out to remind passengers on SNS to reduce misunderstandings about bringing kimchi on planes.
According to the airport representative, this amount of food, instead of being wasted, will be handled in two directions: a part will be destroyed to ensure hygiene and safety, the rest will be donated to local community welfare centers. This not only helps to reduce food waste but also demonstrates the spirit of mutual love and sharing difficulties with the less fortunate in society.
However, this is not the first time that Korean authorities have imposed strict regulations on food items, especially popular and iconic foods of the country. These regulations are not only aimed at ensuring aviation security but also related to quarantine, food hygiene and safety and environmental protection.
This is not the first time South Korea has taken a tough stance on a popular food item. Korean Air announced in 2024 that it would remove ramyeon from its long-haul economy class menu, citing the increasing frequency of turbulence that made serving a dish with boiling water too dangerous. Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning mix was also banned from South Korea because it contained poppy seeds.
Strict regulations on food carried on board aircraft are necessary to ensure the safety of passengers and flights. However, it also poses many challenges for those who want to bring familiar dishes and flavors of their homeland in their luggage.
