The long-term parking lot at Incheon Airport Terminal 1. On the 7th, still before the summer peak season (July 25~August 11), there were plenty of spaces. A (26), traveling to Japan with a friend for 4 nights and 5 days, drove from Daejeon. A said, "Limousine bus fares are more expensive than Incheon Airport parking, and it's easier to move luggage, so I brought my car." The Daejeon~Incheon limousine fare is 33,200 won (one way). For two people, a round trip by limousine bus would be 132,800 won, whereas the long-term lot would cost 45,000 won.

By contrast, the Terminal 2 short-term lot had few empty spaces. Because it is indoors and, since Asiana Airlines moved to Terminal 2 this past January, even shoulder parking has become commonmaking a 'parking war' the norm. B, who said they were going to Japan for 2 nights and 3 days, said, "At the Terminal 2 short-term lot I always circle around," and added, "In peak season I just use valet parking (valet service)"" said.

Incheon Airport's parking capacity totals 60,731 spacesthe nation's largestwith 35,046 at Terminal 1 and 25,685 at Terminal 2. Of these, the short- and long-term lots built for passengers at Terminals 1 and 2 provide 36,971 spaces. However, a parking war breaks out unfailingly during the summer and winter peak travel seasons as well as holidays and long weekends.

The cause of the parking war was the excessive appropriation of parking spaces by Incheon Airport workers.

According to Incheon International Airport Corporation, among the season parking passes issued to airport workers, there were 20,389 free passes. As of March, these included 4,697 at Incheon International Airport Corporation, 6,731 at 17 government agencies, 12,505 at subsidiaries, and 122 at airlines. The corporation has 1,846 employees in total, yet more than twice that number of free passes had been issued. One employee working at the corporation headquarters held a total of five free season passes, covering both short- and long-term at Terminals 1 and 2, among others.

The passes have no expiration date, so once issued they can be used indefinitely. There were also many so-called 'closet season passes' issued to keep on hand just in case.

Paid passes have so far been issued 10,496 times, including 6,177 for airline crew and 4,319 for on-site commercial tenants. Incheon Airport's hourly parking fees are 2,400 won for short-term and 1,000 won for long-term, or per day 24,000 won for short-term and 9,000 won for long-term. For airport workers, monthly fees for paid season passes are cheaper at 200,000 won for short-term and 35,000 won for long-term.

Incheon International Airport Corporation said that, out of a total of 95,014 airport workers, actual daily use by season-pass holders averaged 5,134 instances. This amounts to only 13.8% of the total parking capacity.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also stated in an audit in May that the number of season passes issued by Incheon International Airport Corporation to airport workers stood at 31,265equal to 84.5% of total parking spaces. It pointed out that indiscriminate issuance of season passes ultimately took away passengers' parking spaces and exacerbated congestion in the lots.

As of the 1st, Incheon International Airport Corporation has completely overhauled the management system for employee season passes at Incheon Airport. All previously issued passes have been invalidated, and new applications will be screened for necessity and issued only for a single workplace. For short-term lots, season passes will be issued only to work vehicles such as emergency-response vehicles and, among resident staff, to transportation-vulnerable users such as pregnant women and people with disabilities, thereby greatly expanding passenger-only parking spaces. As a result, passenger parking spaces are expected to increase by 1,500.

Parking capacity will also be expanded. By 2031, Incheon International Airport Corporation plans to add 10,267 spaces3,898 at Terminal 1 and 6,369 at Terminal 2. In particular, it is also considering raising parking fees, which have been frozen for 10 years, as well as the price of paid season passes issued to airline crew and others.

An Incheon International Airport Corporation official said, "Parking lots created for airport users will be kept available for customers to use."