Travelers to South Korea
may be asked to receive a “naked” security check at the Incheon airport,
the Shanghai Airport Authority said yesterday after a Korean newspaper
reported it was secretly X-raying passengers believed to be a security
risk.
The X-ray machine scans the whole body to check whether an
individual is carrying restricted items such as knives. The machines are
faster than a manual check.
But since the scan also reveals the
shape of a person’s private parts, it was nicknamed the “naked check”
machine and criticized by air travelers around the world.
The
airport will scan those who are regarded as “having a potential threat
to the aircraft and other passengers onboard,” according to a list from
the US Transportation Security Administration will have to undergo the
special check.
“Some 40,000 passengers were scanned with the
machines in three years, and many locals might be among them,” the
Shanghai Airport Authority said.
The Incheon airport marks “SSSS”
on a passenger’s boarding card to suggest security staff carry out the
full body X-ray, the authority said.
The machine costs about
120,000 euros (US$164,000) and is mainly being used at airports in the
US, UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
The “naked” security check was criticized by some Chinese who said it was an invasion of privacy.
“I
will never travel to South Korea because of this sick inspection, a
traveler surname Tan said. “I am not even willing to transfer at Incheon
in the future.”
Incheon International Airport, which serves
Seoul and the surrounding area, is a major air traffic hub for flights
to North America and Pacific regions.
The Incheon airport
completed full body X-ray checks on some 40,000 passengers since 2010
without the knowledge of passengers, the South Korean AJU Business Daily
reported, citing a senior official with the national land and traffic
commission.
The Incheon airport authority said they were simply following regulations.
Source: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn
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