An eviction notice issued to homeless people at Incheon International Airport [Homeless Action]
An eviction notice issued to homeless people at Incheon International Airport [Homeless Action]

A homeless rights group has pushed back against Incheon International Airport Corporation's move to remove homeless people from the airport, amid complaints from travelers about an influx of people seeking shelter from the summer heat.

Homeless Action, a homeless rights organization, held a press conference Wednesday at the arrival gate of Terminal 2, calling on authorities to reverse course. "The presence of homeless people at Incheon Airport is not a matter of individual misconduct but the result of the state and local governments abandoning their responsibilities," the group said, urging relevant agencies to cooperate in providing temporary protection and connecting people to community support networks.

The group added that forcing homeless people out through evictions and crackdowns only shifts the problem elsewhere. "Incheon Airport Corporation must immediately halt its eviction measures," it said.

The group also criticized Incheon city, saying it has allowed gaps in its street homeless support system to persist. It called on the city to move beyond the routine practice of recommending shelter admission and instead develop accessible policies — including supportive housing and temporary residential support — and establish emergency measures.

The airport corporation said it is "restraining homeless behavior and encouraging voluntary departure based on applicable laws to ensure smooth airport operations and passenger safety." Article 56, Paragraph 7 of the Airport Facilities Act explicitly prohibits indiscriminate homeless activity inside airports and grants airport operators the authority to stop violations and issue eviction orders.

Between January and July, 24 complaints related to homeless individuals were filed. The main complaints involved people occupying café and bench seating, using abusive language, shouting and drinking alcohol.

Media reports have also documented incidents of homeless individuals hurling unprovoked abuse at travelers, drinking directly from public washbasins, urinating on freshly cleaned restroom floors and sitting on airport chairs in urine-soaked clothing.

One airport cleaner described the situation in blunt terms. "They take off their clothes and shower in the disabled restroom, use up all the toilet paper and leave the place flooded with water and hair," the worker said. "It feels like the cleaning we do isn't for customers anymore — it's for the homeless."


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