Special Screenings to Be Applied on Overseas Travelers

Baggage inspection efforts will be reinforced for overseas travelers starting from the end of June to July in time for a series of overseas exhibitions for name-brand fashion and jewelry.

The Korea Customs Service (KCS) announced on June 21 that starting on June 22, a special screening period for overseas travelers will be set for 40 days until July 30.

The special inspection period was set because of the high possibility of travelers smuggling high-ticket items from the expositions.

KCS informed that over 10 expos are scheduled for the coming weeks in various places including HKG International Jewelry and Watch Fair (June 24~27), The 10th International Fashion Fair in Tokyo, Japan (July 21~23), Shanghai International Diamond Jewelry Fair 2004 in China (July 22~25), and JA International Jewelry Show 2004 in New York, USA.

Accordingly, KCS will double up the baggage inspection effort and will conduct an inspection on the entire cargo of the plane which may have possible smugglers aboard.

KCS explains that the purchase limit at the duty-free shops for outgoing travelers stands at $200 while tax exemption limit for incoming travelers is set at $400 for personal items only, and that there are a number of penalized cases because these rules were not understood.

Ji-Wan Cha cha@donga.com