Encounter With Ignorant Criminal Uniformed Order-followers At An Airport

in #travel6 years ago

I don't post much personal info, but in this case, I'll make an exception.

Location – Inchon International Airport, South Korea – Terminal 2

Victim of Criminal Actions – Todd (me)

Criminals who perpetrated the actions:

Uniformed extortion-funded rights-violators by the names of

Kim Min Ji 

Kim Min Sung 

Na Sung Sa

Criminal Actions:

1.  Theft of 2 tubes of fluoride-free toothpaste. 

2.  Theft of privacy 

3.  Coercion

While on a recent trip, I had a flight out of Inchon, Korea (near Seoul).  While going through the immoral, unlawful, harassment that is typical of airports during this particular time in history, I was asked by one of the uniformed rights-violators if it was ok to open my bag and search it.  

I responded, “No, I would prefer not.”

I was given the customarily warm smile of Koreans, while she dutifully proceeded to ignore my wishes and open my bag against my will.  While rummaging through my stuff, she came across 2 tubes of toothpaste, one new, one half-full.  She said she “had to discard because it’s too big for regulations.”

I responded, “Please don’t steal my toothpaste.”

After repeating ourselves a few times and getting nowhere, she called over another uniformed rights-violator who told me the same immoral, illegitimate garbage while I continuously repeated things like:

“Stealing is wrong.  Don’t steal my toothpaste.  This is bad.  This is wrong.  You are stealing from me.  Please don’t steal from me.”

This went on for a couple of minutes, and then another uniformed rights-violator was called over to join us.  He apparently was the “supervisor”.  He proceeded to show me a few laminated pages of “regulations” so that I could see for myself how I was bringing “banned items”.    

So I pushed the pages of fallacious garbage away and said, “These don’t matter.  They’re wrong.”

He then stole my toothpaste and threw it in the garbage.

I then started asking to speak with a different supervisor.  The “supervisor” present told me that there was no other supervisor.    

I laughed and asked, “So you don’t have a boss?” 

He either didn’t understand me or did not want to contact his boss, because he went on to say that there was no other supervisor.  I guess the guy writes his own paychecks?........

So I asked all three of them for their names so that I could file a formal complaint via email.    

They wrote down their names.  They told me there was an airport security office in the terminal and that I could go there after clearing “immigration”.    

I left.  Moments later, I was walking around near my gate, looking for that rights violator (airport security) office and, despite the bad instructions I had been given, found it.  I walked in and talked to a lady behind a counter and a glass divider.

“I’d like to file a complaint.  I had my toothpaste stolen by airport security staff.”

She looked puzzled and repeated what I had said in order to verify.  I confirmed.  She escorted me to an information desk in a different section of the terminal.    

At the information desk, I told the woman there, “I need to file a complaint against airport security.  They stole my toothpaste.”

She also looked shocked and handed me a complaint form.  After I filled it out by hand, she said she would “deliver it for me”.

Now I am the type that does not ever trust such a claim, so I took it upon myself to insist on having an email as well, so that I might send the complaint electronically as well.   

She searched on her computer for the correct contact form via the Korean Airport website (airport.kr).

Although I shouldn’t be surprised, it took her a solid 10 minutes to find a contact form.   

Unfortunately, after reviewing the website she had given me, I came to realize that the website requires a user account to file a complaint! And what do they require to set up a user account? 

If you guessed a ton of private data, pat yourself on the back! Not only that, but one data requirement is a Korean ID number.  Guess who doesn’t have a Korean ID number? Me! And billions of other people!   

I then did numerous internet searches in order to try and find phone numbers to reach someone with the Korean airport uniformed criminals association.  Most people I talked to didn’t speak English.  One number did not accept my call because I was calling from a “blocked number” (I use Skype).  

So, short story long, there is no complaints department in this Orwellian nightmare! Big shock, right? 

So the next time you fly, what will you do?

Thanks for your time and attention!

Just say "NO" to slavery!

Top image is from pixabay

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Great job standing up against tyranny , throwing logic back at the meathead robots in a way that wouldn't get you killed- of course had this been a US airport you'd have been tased and 'disappeared' for such disobedience!

Thanks. Yeah, Koreans, from my experience, are generally very polite. I've had good experiences there. So at the airport it's more of a "velvet glove tyranny", with no tasing or disappearing. I catch your drift, though. Thanks for reading and commenting.

I was picking up some backpacker for my hostel, when I was in LA (late 90's).
While i was there waiting for them I touted a few more backpackers, no point missing opportunities and all that.

Two lapd officers grabbed me, slammed me against the glass wall, and handcuffed me.

They let me go when my customers arrived! 'welcome to LA' !lol.
Airport 'territories' are a law unto themselves...

Thanks for sharing that nauseating example of violent authoritarianism. Wow! Not only are airports special like that, but the LAPD are some of the worst thugs on the planet. Glad you didn't get thrown in a cage!

Sorry for what you went through. You can make a great rebel. I like the kind words used when speaking to the airport officials.

Thanks man. I do what I can.

You had to become so irritated by this clowns over the years, when did all this for a toothpaste! LOL

Their behavior is classic example of hiding behind the uniform.

Yes, a very tragic comedy of sorts. They repeat themselves like broken records...."against regulations". Logic and reason are nowhere to be found in their "thought process" (or lack thereof).

I hate to say it, but they really do behave like flesh robots. Perhaps one day, they will remember that moment we shared, and it will spark truth seeking for them. I won't hold my breath, though....LOL

Thank God they didn't let you on board with all of that toothpaste! Lord knows what you could have done with it! Thanks, Government, for keeping me safe from terrorist toothpaste-touters such as you! Haaa!!! Oy... What a freak-show we live in, eh?