<Anchor> At
Incheon Airport, there is a repatriation waiting room where foreigners who have not obtained entry permits stay before returning to their home country.
There are also employees who manage foreigners who are repatriated, but they cannot actively respond to violence or emergency patients.
Reporter Jeong Ban-seok reported on why.
<Reporter>
In September of last year, a man is sitting at the Incheon Airport terminal wearing underwear.
I am a foreigner in my 30s who was being repatriated to my home country after being denied entry from Japan, and a nerve stabilizing agent and a sleep inducing agent were found in my bag.
I sent it to the transfer hotel inside the airport duty-free area, but because of a riot all night, three employees in the airport repatriation waiting room stuck and calmed it down
.
I hurt myself with a wall clock.
During the drying process, I rolled together, bumping into the corners, scratching my neck.] The
next afternoon, I died of a heart attack due to pathological excitement.
The three employees in the repatriation waiting room have been handed over to the prosecution on charges of incarceration and have been investigated for more than a year, complaining that they have had no choice but to prevent self-harm.
There are 9 airports and ports nationwide, including Incheon International Airport, where foreigners who have come to Korea but are not permitted to enter Korea stay until they board a flight to their home country.
Last year alone, more than 55,000 people used the waiting room, but the employees here belong to the airline's subcontractors, not from the airport corporation or the immigration authorities.
It is said that because of the malformed structure that the airline's steering committee leaves to the service company, private service employees who do not have authority even if there is a violence or emergency patient take full responsibility.
In fact, there are a number of cases where employees are pushed by passengers to fall, be slapped, and get fat.
[Incheon Airport repatriation waiting room staff: There is honestly no means to respond.
Passengers continue to be violent, abusive and controversial against us, and we must avoid (collision) because we are civilians.]
[Park Young-soon/Democratic Party Member (National Land Transportation Committee): US, Germany, UK, etc. Is operated with responsibility.
I think the state should be responsible for operating the repatriation waiting room, and switching to a public service to clarify responsibility and authority.] The
National Assembly's Land, Transport and Transportation Committee is planning to visit the repatriation waiting room of Incheon Airport and conduct on-site inspections.
(Video coverage: Yang Hyun-cheol, Video editing: Kim Jong-woo)