South Korean airport officials confiscated almost 11 tonnes of kimchi last year

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish of spicy fermented cabbage and radish. (Anthony Wallace / AFP / Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

SEOUL — Security officials confiscating bottles of water, tubes of shower gel and pots of face creams are a common sight at airport security.

But officials enforcing the no-liquids rule at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport have been busy seizing another outlawed item: kimchi, a concoction of salted and fermented vegetables that is a staple of every Korean dinner table.

Last year, officials at Incheon International Airport (ICN) confiscated a total of 10.7 tonnes of the country’s must-have side dish from passengers violating the ban on liquid in carry-on luggage, according to the airport.

That’s because pre-packaged kimchi often comes in a bottle or plastic bag and is soaked in spicy sauce, meaning it counts as a liquid. Like many other airports around the world, authorities at ICN ban liquids and gels exceeding 100 ml in carry-on luggage.

Across 2023, the airport officials say they also confiscated 10.5 tonnes of jang, a word covering a wide range of traditional fermented sauces and pastes.

One YouTube video posted last year by a popular Korean travel influencer reminding travellers that kimchi was check-in-only has racked up 1.2 million views.

The confiscated food items are either thrown away or donated to a local community welfare centre along with other confiscated items, according to airport officials.

And this isn’t the first time that Korean officials have taken a strong stance on a popular food product.

In 2024, Korean Air, the country’s flagship airline, announced that it would no longer serve ramyeon instant noodles to passengers travelling in economy on long-haul flights. The airline cited “the increasing trend of turbulence” making it too dangerous to serve the snack –- which is made by adding boiling water.

In addition, travellers bringing Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel mix into South Korea reported running afoul of authorities. The product, which is only sold in the United States, has gone viral on TikTok and is a popular “souvenir” for travellers who are returning from America.

The popular seasoning mix was deemed illegal because it contains poppy seeds, an oilseed banned in Korea.

One South Korean blogger reported that she brought back 20 bottles of the seasoning upon returning home from a visit to the U.S. However, she said, the bottles came out of the luggage conveyer belt with a yellow lock on them and were later confiscated by officials.

Now, signs in Korean and English have been placed throughout the terminal warning travellers against trying to bring Everything But the Bagel seasoning mixes into the country.

Gawon Bae, Jay Ganglani and Chris Lau, CNN