o National Human Rights of Korea recommended to the President of the Korea Airports Corporation to create a manual to guarantee the right to movement of people in wheelchair who went through security check at airport. It also recommended to provide education for people in charge of security check service in domestic airports including the Jeju Airport.
o The complainant who's with grade 1 physical disabilities tried to go to the gate in his automatic wheelchair after going through the security check at Jeju Airport. However, the security guard asked the complainant to be accompanied with a staff of airline company, restricting his movement. The complainant filed a complaint to NHRCK saying that it is a discrimination against people with disability.
o The Korea Airports Corporation explained that pursuant to the announcement ‘harmful item prohibited to be carried into aircraft’ and ‘standard on transport of harmful item’ of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, automatic wheelchair can be brought onto the plane as a checked baggage only with permission of the air transportation company and people who use automatic wheelchair should be accompanied with staff of airline company when going through security check or moving to the gate. KAC added that since the complainant was not accompanied with airline staff, they had to stop him from going to the gate.
o However, Discrimination Rectification Committee of NHRCK concluded that restricting movement of the complainant who already finished security check and requiring accompany of airline staff is violation of article 19 of the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, Remedy against Infringement of Their Rights, Etc. given that with the baggage tag, air transport company can check whether the automatic wheelchair was allowed to be brought onto the plane or not.
