NEWS LETTER 2014 Jan + Feb

01
Korea Airports Corporation E-Magazine Vol.

The Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) is a public enterprise with responsibility for the overall management and supervision of 14
local airports in cities including Gimpo, Gimhae, Daegu, Gwangu, Cheongju, Yangyang, Muan, Ulsan, Sacheon, Pohang, Gunsan and
Wonju. The KAC helps each airport effectively carry out its tasks such as construction, management and operation, contributing to
the enhancement of the nation’s air transportation, economy and public welfare.

Employees of the Korea

Airports Corporations!
New Year 2014, the Year of
the Horse, has begun!

As we usher in the New Year, the Year of the
Blue Horse, symbolizing ‘good luck’ and
‘passion,’ I wish all the employees of the
KAC all the best and that all of you will have a
fruitful year. In retrospect, last year witnessed
a lot of changes with the launch of a new
administration characterized by “a new era of
hope and happiness for all the people.” Also
I had the honor to be inaugurated as the 10th
CEO of the KAC. Amidst such transformative
changes, 4,700 employees of the KAC put
great efforts into faithfully carrying out their
roles, delivering productive results.
Since the foundation of the Corporation,
the KAC has accomplished the greatest
achievements in financial management
and passenger transportation while it has
also been globally recognized as one of the
best airports with grade A in management
performance evaluation, with Gimpo Airport
being ranked first in AQS (Airport Quality
Service) among airports with the same size.
I sincerely thank all the employees and
executives for their hard work in the midst of
challenges throughout last year.
A person who tries to hold on to one’s original
goals is filled with a sense of passion and
curiosity. The success of achieving the goals
hinges on how long and how hard the person
works to reach the original goals. In this
regard, I sincerely ask each one of you to
reflect on your first resolutions and to exert
every effort in shaping a new future of South
Korea and the KAC. Now, I would like to give
you a few words of advice as CEO as part of
the efforts to respond to new paradigms and
surmount crises to take a new leap forward in
the years to come.
First, for the brighter future of the KAC,
I would like all the public officials of the
Corporation to look at the big picture in
the long term and preemptively respond
to the forthcoming future. Second, I would
like officials to bear in mind that a sense of
self-interest of public officials is regarded
as “a public enemy.” Third, with the safety
of the airports being a top priority with no
allowances for compromises, we should put
the safety of the public before anything else.
Fourth, good labor-management relations
should be established.
Going beyond Korea, in 2014, we will be
able to lay a foundation for a global airports
corporation. A remodeling project designed
to make Gimpo International Airport a "Biz-
Port" of Northeast Asia is scheduled to be
initiated this year, together with other projects
including the first terminal construction
exclusively designed for private aircraft and
infrastructure for nurturing pilots. If we are to
set our sights on the world stage, we need to
internally form a united front for core values
we pursue.
As CEO of the KAC, I will make the utmost
efforts to establish a corporate culture where
every single member of the KAC can share
common goals and work together to pursue
the goals throughout the year.
CEO & President Korea Airports Corporation
Seok-Ki Kim

KAC ISSUE

T h e F as tes t Path to Tokyo in th e Sky!

THE GIMPO-HANEDA ROUTE EXPEDITION

SEARCHING FOR UNIQUE FUN

Inside view of Gimpo International Airport Launching ceremony of Gimpo-Haneda route expedition Inside view of Haneda Airport

The Expedition, Hitting the Road to Find Joy Thank you for Airport
It has already been 10 years since the route between Gimpo and
Haneda, the fastest route to Tokyo, was opened. In commemoration
I convey my gratitude to the employees of Gimpo Airport!
of the 10th anniversary, the Korea Airports Corporation initiated a On November 1, I used Gimpo Airport in the
special event titled "The Gimpo-Haneda Route Expedition Searching morning for a family trip. Because I was in a hurry
for Unique Fun," which is aimed at discovering extraordinary when I left home, I had to skip breakfast. So I
entertainments in the route between Gimpo and Haneda under bought Tteokbokki (Stir-fried rice cake) and Kimbap
(dried seaweed rolls). To my embarrassment,
different travel themes invented by each member of the "expedition."
because of the regulations on liquids, I was not
To participate in the event, they were given return airline tickets at a able to bring Tteokbokki with me and my child was
no cost and financial support for two nights and three days. crying not to throw away the foods. But then, one of
The Gimpo-Haneda route expedition is comprised of a total of the employees at the airport generously extended
five selected chosen teams (groups of two) and three popular a helping hand to let us use a space for staff where
we could eat the food.
figures in the blogosphere. In particular, the five selected teams
I was able to feel how considerate the employees of the Gimpo Airport were
comprising ordinary people were chosen from a large number of when it comes to treating airport users with kind consideration, and was
rivals, possessing extraordinary characteristics. Among them, Son deeply grateful to them. Thanks to their consideration, I was able to fully
Min-su, a physiotherapist for children, organized a team with a enjoy our family trip.
young patient who was treated in Japan, which is known for having
Customer Service Team at Jeju International Airport deserves praise
no prejudice against the disabled, which made people feel deeply
One day, my parents had a chance to visit Jeju island to pay their
touched. Another team consisting of twins who are close enough to condolences to an acquaintance of theirs. Unfortunately, due to
complement each other also joined the event to make the most out deteriorating weather the flight was delayed and my parents were stranded
of their last trip in their 20s. on the island. They were not loyal supporters of credit cards, using only
The Gimpo-Haneda route was opened after Korea-Japan summit cash. On that day, unluckily they had not enough money in their pocket.
Adding insult to injury, since they were in a hurry to step out of the house,
talks were held on Nov. 30, 2003. The decision was based on the
they left a wallet in the house, which meant they could not even bring
idea that it would help effectively share the respective roles of the a debit card with them. Even though they said that they were okay and
airports in the two countries at a time when exchanges between the they could just wait and travel back home, I couldn’t just sit and wait. So I
countries were on the rise. International flights at the Haneda Airport made a call to the airport and asked if they could lend some money to my
were transferred to Narita Airport in 1978 and so was Gimpo Airport parents, assuring them that I would pay them back through a credit transfer.
Fortunately, they were willing to lend some money to my parents and they
to Incheon Airport in 2001.
were able to safely fly back home. I sincerely thank the service team at Jeju
The accessibility and streamlined procedure at Gimpo Airport has International Airport for their help.
helped to open an era for a one-day life zone between Korea and
Japan, greatly contributing to economic exchanges and the tourism Tip
Essays and photos of Gimpo-Haneda route expedition can be found at a
industry in the two countries. In particular, as a large number of
blog below.
K-pop stars who are at the centre of the Korean Wave sweeping http://meli.co.kr/100201382385
Japan, frequently use the convenient Gimpo Airport, the Gimpo- http://blog.naver.com/2004ms/110180979538
Haneda route has served as a stepping stone for the spread of the http://gikimi23.blog.me/30181522006
Korean Wave in Japan. http://cute_bbotty.blog.me/100201751292
With an increase in the annual flights of 14.7% and in the number of http://blog.naver.com/kimlovemint/50185077694

passengers of 16.6%, the route has been in the black from 2004 to http://haru3050.blog.me/60205715607

2012, and four airlines now operate 24 flights (included arrival and http://blog.naver.com/gloriousld/150181593675
http://endeva.tistory.com/3103
departure) on a daily basis for the routes.

KAC WORLD CLASS

KAC’S OVERSEAS AIRPORT PROJECTS HAVE BEEN

RECOGNIZED GLOBALLY
The KAC has been proactively
carrying out overseas airport
projects based on its experience The Landing of a Contract for PMC Service
and know-how about airport Designed for Promoting Management Capacity
of Cambodian Private Flights and Constructing
construction and operating sys- Education Center
tems. The global projects of the
The KAC and two other domestic private companies jointly
Corporation characterized by participated in a tender for the PMC (Project Management
Consulting) Service designed for promoting management
advanced technical capacities
capacity of Cambodian private flights and constructing
and rich experience have helped an education center and won the contract. By building an
aviation education center and dispatching aviation experts,
enhance the status of the nation
the KAC has contributed to the international development
in the world. cooperation with the developing world, helping to enhance
its status as a public corporation specialized in private avia-
tion. Carrying out the project enabled the KAC to export its
airport operation techniques to Cambodia, which has served
as a stepping stone for the diversification of overseas
markets.
Immigration Control System Estab-
lishment Consulting Project in the
Dominican Republic
The KAC won the contract for Immigration
Control System Establishment Consulting
Projects ordered by Immigration Services in
the Dominican Republic. The project repre-
sents a new overseas project implemented by
the KAC, funded by the EDCF (Economic De-
velopment Cooperation Fund). It is aimed at
establishing 25 immigration control systems in
a wide range of areas including airports, ports
and land routes in the country. By accumulat-
ing consulting abilities in the immigration area
through the implementation of this project, the
KAC plans to expand its business to related
areas in the future.

New Passenger Terminal Construction Pro-
ject at Benina International Airport in Libya
The project was ordered by the Ministry of Trans-
portation in Libya for reconstruction of the nation’s
infrastructure after the civil war. The KAC participated
in the project together with private enterprises in the
field of IT establishment. The KAC has been suc-
cessfully implementing the project by dispatching a
technical team to the country. The KAC is also set out
to proactively advance into the airport business in the
Middle East and Africa in the years to come through
various marketing efforts, including the signing of
MOUs with the Libya Airports Authority.
The Implementation of Airport Projects between
the City of Cusco and Chinchero in Peru
The Cusco-Chinchero Airport Project ordered by the Minis-
try of Transportation and Communications in Peru is a big
project aimed at building a new airport in Chinchero, Peru, in
response to an increase in the number of tourists to Machu
Picchu, a world heritage. The KAC has already passed a
pre-qualification test to participate in the project. It plans to
join a tender together with competitive foreign companies
and it is believed that with the success of the winning
the contract, it will become the first large, foreign airport
construction and operation project carried out in partnership
with a domestic company.
Operation Consulting Project for Six
Airports in the Northeast Region of
Colombia
By undertaking airport operation consulting
projects for six airports in the northeast region
including Santa Marta adjacent to the Carib-
bean Sea, which were ordered by the Aerocivil
in Colombia, for 15 years, the KAC has been
able to lay a foundation for advancement into
the market for Central and South America
while achieving the first export of advanced
operating know-how to the region.

*The overseas airport projects are currently underway as of 2014.

AIRPORT PHOTO

Rising Higher, F art h er, t o w ard B ecom in g a G lobal Air por t!

DAY & NIGHT AT GIMPO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,

THE BEST "BIZPORT" IN KOREA

Achieving Both Efficiency and Service

Gimpo International Airport ranked first in the
Asia-Pacific region in the "Operating Efficiency
2010" category by the ATRS (Air Transport
Research Society). The airport also came in first
in ASQ (Airport Service Quality) among mid-sized
airports for three consecutive years, which is
the first in the nation. With these achievements,
the airport has been recognized as an airport
equipped with both quality service and efficiency.
One of the advantages about the airport is
accessibility. It is the only airport in the world
that costs only US$1 to get to downtown. A wide
range of public transport options are available
to people, which include Airport Limo, Airport
Railroad, intra-city buses and two lines of (line 5
and 9) subway. Besides its accessibility, the level
of users’ satisfaction against parking fees is one
of the highest among airports across the world.
The airport has four pay parking lots where 5,000
vehicles can be parked at the same time.
Mobile check-in that allows travelers to download
an electronic or paper-less boarding pass to their
web-enabled device (cell phone for instance)
spares people the hassle of standing in check-in
lines, saving them up to 20 minutes.

interviews

Kim Yeon-ju Park Sami

working at the information desk working at security check points
for international flights for domestic flights

I’ll be your Friend in a Strange Place.
It has been three years since I started working at the information desk
for international flights. Foreign customers tend to rely heavily on us,
especially when they have difficulty in finding their bags they have left
in a car or a taxi. They seem to feel more helpless than local customers
because of the language barrier. Any of those who come to use Gimpo
International Airport can feel free to ask us anything at the information
desk. We are always ready to help you!
Airport Security Check Points at Gimpo International Airport are
strict but friendly!
We perform security screenings to find hazardous items before passengers
get onto the airplane. Items such as knives, blunt weapons, inflammables
and portable gas are prohibited in aircraft cabins. But starting from first
January, the list of carry-on luggage has been extended to ban items
such as nail clippers, glues, wine bottle openers and needles. We will do
our best to ensure the safety of passengers through meticulous security
screenings.

AIRPORT REPORTAGE

Airport Re port er Tel l s t h e Sto ry of Korea’s Air por t H istor y

AIRPORT, A PLACE AVAILABLE ONLY TO THE

PRIVILEGED

Airports can be regarded as a "mini-
Korea" manned by public officials of the
government. That is because airports are
the first and last gateway when people
enter and leave Korea.
One of the routines as an airport reporter
is to check the lists of entry and exit
passengers. Now we are living in an era
where everyone can fly to anywhere they
want unless they have legal issues but it
was not until the 1970s, which was the time
when I started my career, that the airport
flew international flights to only six cities
which were mostly in Southeast Asia, such
as Hong Kong, Tokyo and Bangkok and
that there were only six flights on a daily
basis. This naturally meant that airports
were available to only those with money
and power. It was the time when you could
not even think of going abroad unless you
were a person of high social standing.
Back then, since there were only six take-
offs and landings a day, the airport was
swarming with reporters every time flights
arrived and departed in the hopes of finding
out who had arrived at the airport. If they
were lucky enough, they could come across
famous figures and have an interview with
them. Sometimes they also had to spend
hours to run after people who wanted to
*The reporter Lee Hwang who wrote this report joined the Korean Daily Report, one of the newspapers in Korea, in
1970 and has been together with the history of Korean airports for the last 40 years since then.
escape publicity.
With airports being a place used mostly by
famous people, they became one of the
places ordinary people longed for. Back
then, looking at planes in the sky was an
extraordinary experience that ordinary
people wanted to share. Of course, boarding
planes should have given them a greater joy
but it was not a dream that everyone could
have come true. That naturally used to lead
to scenes where 20 to 30 people came to
the airport to greet or say good-bye to their
families and friends going abroad. There
were also people who visited the airport just
because having a chance to look at a plane
had been a dream of their life.
For this reason, airports in the past used to
go so far as to have specially designated
places for people who wanted to meet or
give a send-off to their families and friends
and for helping their ‘dreams’ come true.
The place was a kind of a platform that
enabled people to watch their families and
friends arriving and departing and airplanes
as well. People were able to get even closer
to the plane arrival and departure points,
making it possible for them to express their
joy on seeing friends and family returning,
or sorrow at parting for a long time.
Who is the First Flight
Attendant in Korea?
In October 1953, the Korea National Aviation
(KNA) recruited flight attendants for the first time.
A 24-year-old woman named Jo Min-ja was able
to receive the honor to receive the nickname, ‘the
first flight attendant in Korea’. Back then, although
three people passed the exam two of them were
selected to work in an office, making Jo the only
person becoming a flight attendant. Equipped
with a natural beauty, tall stature of 165 cm and
proficiency in English, she started boarding
planes right after American army surgeons taught
her how to administer first aid. And she had to
work in Western-style dress because there were
no pretty uniforms like today.
She recalled that working as a single flight
attendant was very physically arduous. The non-
existence of routine airlines led to the use of a
chartered Connie with 48 seats, where she was
shivering out of fear to make an announcement.
But not everything was difficult. Having an
opportunity to frequently go abroad and to take a
look at foreign scenery made her feel proud of her
job. It was also she who served then President
Park Chung-hee who made a trip to America after
the military coup happened on May 16, 1961.
After ten years and as many as 9,500 hours on
a plane, Jo who turned 34, left her long-time
workplace and has been committed to educating
the next generation of flight attendants.