Weapon found at Incheon airport beyond security checkpoint

Incheon International Airport's departure hall is bustling with passengers on March 20. [YONHAP]

A passenger in possession of a 21 centimeter (8.27 inches) weapon was caught in Incheon International Airport.

The airport police said Friday that an airline employee found a female passenger from China in her 70s carrying the blade in front of Gate 45 on the third floor of Terminal 1 around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The Chinese passenger reportedly had wandered around the duty-free zone after cruising past the security checkpoint. She was released after a police investigation and flew to Yanji, China.

A spokesperson for Incheon Airport said an investigation by the military and police concluded that she should not be charged.

This was the third time in a month that a weapon was found to have made it past airport security.

On March 16, a rifle bullet was found in a trash can in the departure hall. On March 10, two bullets were found in the passenger plane shortly after taking off from Incheon International Airport.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]