Icheon Airport to open separate entrance for celebrities

[RussianRoulette]

It was announced today that Icheon Airport would be opening a separate entrance for celebrities. Any celebrities who wish to use the entrance can apply in advance to use it.
The hope of opening this entrance is to combat the large crowds that form when Korean celebrities and Kpop groups come to the airport. They are hoping this separate entrance will make the airport safer and give the celebrities more privacy.

The source for this is a document Icheon Airport has sent out to various entertainment companies that got leaked on twitter.
(Because of this right now I don't have a specific news article about this to link as a source.)

This is the statement Icheon Airport made (translation by Koreaboo) :​

1. While we hope for your company’s infinite development, this is related to creating an environment for safe usage of the airport.

2. Recently, as local artists’ popularity has grown internationally, the frequency of fans and the public crowding at the airport has increased, and following the increasing size of the crowd, this has been affecting not just the comfort of regular passengers, but also safety.

3. As such, in order to reduce the crowds at the airport, we have created a new exclusive entrance for celebrities and famous people for departure. This will be put into action from October 28, 2024, onwards, and we will be providing you with the plans for it. Please take note of how to use the exclusive entrance and other important information. In the case where you want to use the exclusive entrance, please submit a request to the airport in advance.

4. In addition, as we are trying to provide a safe and pleasant environment for our citizens and passengers, in order to reduce the crowds of various members of the public, we hope that your company can release an announcement to your artists’ fandom about refraining from going to the airport when artists’ leave and enter the country. We hope that you can cooperate by publishing this on the official fan cafe, social media, Weverse or other companies

While most fans have been very happy about this news, there has been some fans not so happy about this. Their reasonings are:

- There wouldn't be crowds in the first place if the airport did their job and stopped letting in reporters and fans/saesangs.
- There wouldn't be crowds if Korean celebrity's private schedules would stop getting leaked.
- A lot of kpop idols have their airport outfits sponsored by clothing brands. If idols are entering through a private entrance, then the public cannot see their outfits and they would loose brand deals.

What are your thoughts on this new entrance?​

 

[hatmixx]

this is awesome. i always love and enjoy shots of my idols, but also, i feel bad that they are subject to this. it's a friggin airport and it's frustrating and annoying as it is.

 

[UMJI MOODS]

I'm going to say that it is probably going to be decided based on circumstances. Leaving for events it is more likely to see them than leaving or returning from vacation. The number of times that I have seen exhausted idols come home and get mobbed also makes this a likely option.
I would point out that LAX has had this kind of thing for a long time. Some of it is reasonably to do with crowd control and celebrity safety.

 

[Your Biggest Fan]

It's about time. The only question is, are companies going to take advantage of it? They benefit from the attention idols get when they cause pandemonium at the airport. It's basically free advertising.

 

[tokki]

It's about time. The only question is, are companies going to take advantage of it? They benefit from the attention idols get when they cause pandemonium at the airport. It's basically free advertising.

yeah, especially when tied together with the point about many idols' airport fashion being used essentially to advertise designer brands and such...I think most companies will continue business as usual unless it no longer becomes optional to use these special areas for safety purposes

 

[RussianRoulette]

yeah, especially when tied together with the point about many idols' airport fashion being used essentially to advertise designer brands and such...I think most companies will continue business as usual unless it no longer becomes optional to use these special areas for safety purposes

I don’t think the new entrance will affect the brand deals that much?

Of what I’ve noticed, 99% of the time when an artist is showing up to the airport in a fully branded outfit it’s because they are flying out to an event for that brand. In this case, since it’s just 1 person they probably don’t need the special entrance (especially since paparazzi is probably being intentionally invited to take pictures).

I think the new entrance is mostly for whole group stuff.