We have to get passed the idea that people checked are targeted solely because the authorities think they might really be terrorist or smugglers.

They can’t check everybody. Well, they can, but until terrorism becomes common place on a massive scale, it is unrealistic to set up a system where every person and bag is checked.

So, these spot checks are meant to keep the real bad guys worried about getting caught.

Mind you, I think SK leftists are quite different than other leftists, after all, SK ones don’t seem to have a problem with human rights violations, if committed by follow ‘leftists’. Hmm, actually, maybe they are just like most leftists after all.

oh let him demand the removal of the patriots

they arent going anywhere anytime soon

mamahumu: “usinkorea, you are a moron. if you get pulled over for speeding, you are actually breaking a law. entering an american airport is not, to my knowledge, a crime.”

Mamahumu, it may not be a criome to fail to cooperate with US security procedures, but not very smart. Actually, the Mayor was not treated as a criminal - he was simply asked to undergo a routine security check.

Kimbob: “The problem here is, Usinkorea, is the inconsistency of application of rules. I believe the Kwangju mayor would not have blown his Anti-American hair line tops if he hadn’t seen American and Japanese officials get kid glove treatment while he gets to ride the back of the bus.”

The Mayor is not an especially famous personality so if his staff did not coordinate the visit properly with local officials, how can you possibly place the blame on parties in the US?

As for inconsistency, that is precisely what deters terror. What Koreans need to learn is that you can’t just expect favorable treatment because of your position. You get back what you put in and these Japanese officials may have had more organized and professional business travel planners.

Yes, really. Official means they are likely on some sort of government business. That could be anything from seeking investments to checking out the latest in U.S. sewage treatment technologies. The people carrying official passports could be almost anyone working for or with the government (assuming the passports are legit).

Every government has some criminal elements in it. The U.S., European nations, Korea, all have the same problem. Civil service is like any other sector of society, there is a criminal element within. (Though not quite like SK’s brothers in the North who run drugs on diplomatic passports).

Hey, perhaps the security guy was not up to speed on geo-political affairs and mistook them for those other Korean government officials who deal in drugs and counterfeit money.

Any way you look at it the only one who should be apologizing is the Mayor for “officially” embarrassing his city and his country.

They don’t put every individual to identical searches each time.

We’ve all seen this. I’ve gone through immigration and customs in the US with little question and just walking out with my bags, and I’ve been stopped and asked to open my bags up at other times. Some people get stopped. Others don’t.

And thus, it is harder for those wishing to do dirty things to figure out a game plan on how to skirt the system or raise the probablity of getting through.

And again, look what the guy is compaining about…..it isn’t extreme at all. It is a little delay - which would probably have been faster if he had just gone with the program.

And as I said before, I understand the frustration those people feel who are stopped and are chosen for the spot checks.

But, it sounds to me like people are jumping too quickly to the idea this “should never have happened” to the point it seems like if we put into effect the kind of security (or lack of it) suggested by the comments siding with the Kwangju mayor, we’d be taking steps backward rather than forward.

1 hour and 45 minutes. Pass through the new devices for bomb control. Opening his brief case and wallet.

Not a horrible experience given the nature of the world today and the type of security measures that are needed.

The point isn’t that the security people only look for people who look like criminals or those they believe look like they would carry a bomb.

People like the mayor should get off his high horse and stop acting like just because he and crew were picked out for the tests they were treating them like criminals.

And/or he should get over the fact being mayor of Kwangju isn’t the same as being President Roh….

Of course not. They’ll just use Japanese and French government official passports because they get a free pass, apparantly, while Korean government official passports are treated like officials of the Osama Bin Laden organization bent on blowing up the White House. The problem here is, Usinkorea, is the inconsistency of application of rules. I believe the Kwangju mayor would not have blown his Anti-American hair line tops if he hadn’t seen American and Japanese officials get kid glove treatment while he gets to ride the back of the bus. It’s not the hour and half of waiting time or the patting down, right down to the wallets, that’s not the point. And I know how immigration officers tend to get depending their mood of the day.

If I was in his shoes, I’d probably felt the same thing. What I would not have done though, is childishly whine and say something I may not be able to back it up.

Again, I’m not talking about passports of average Kim from Korea - that’s an entirely different scenario.

Nobody is trying to bash the US, just that some people in the immigration departments whether they be in the US, Canada, or Korea need to use their brains once in a while. You needn’t be so defensive.

If they had strip searched him or the like, I’m sure we would have heard about it given what he did b*tch about loudly. I get the feeling “full body search” probably means being patted down or having the wand run around him.

And the more I’ve thought about it, the further away I am getting from the people here who view this as some kind of mistake and/or outrage.

Do you guys think a terrorist or someone connected to a terrorist group — say, a scout or message carrier or whatever — is going to come in on a real passport — perhaps one marked, “I’m a terrorist, please inspect me”?

If the type of passport the mayor of Kwangju was carrying gives a nod and a wave passed security, don’t you think terrorists or smugglers or people with the money and desire to buy quality fake passports would take note and use that hole? Like I’ve seen a couple of undercover news orgs do with airline pilot flight suits and fake airport name tags….

Next, I’m sure anybody who has flown since 9/11 have seen the security people pull aside an old lady or old man to have them take off their shoes or do some other rest they do for security reasons. It is obvious they don’t just pull out people who look devious or just people who they think might look like a terrorist or criminal.

And that is a good thing. If you leave holes open, those who want to exploit it will.

“Official passports don’t mean much. …. Really??”

Again, so because he has an official passport, he should be bowed too and waved through security?

…….They made him open his bags……ohhhh, boy, what an outrage….

they delayed him and his group 1 hour and 45 minutes…..oh my gosh!!! what a horrible thing to do?

They patted him down!!! the horror, the horror!!

There is nothing in what was said about what they did to this man or his group matches either the amount of rhetoric he used or what we have seen in these comments.

And if Inchon airport just waves through anybody with an official passport with a nod and smile, it isn’t much of a security system……

Really?? Granted, the mayor was a prick for not controlling his temper, but then what’s the use of issuing different types of passports? (which I find hard to believe).

More than likely those security personnel had no particular issues with Koreans. The first inspector they hit could have been grumpy that day. Or, as the Mayor’s tantrum suggests, he may have been behaving like a pompous prick and invited some extra scrutiny.

The mayor must not have realized that in America even someone as powerful and famous as Ted Kennedy can get harassed at the airport. Being mayor of Kwangju may get him special status in Korea, but he is just another traveler at an American airport.