Korea Airports Corporation Welcomes Inauguration of 14th President Kim Wonjun

Korea Airports Corporation held an inauguration ceremony for its 14th President, Kim Wonjun, at its headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on September 2, attended by executives and employees.

In his inaugural address, President Kim Wonjun stated his intention to make safety and public trust the Corporation’s top priorities, pledging to reexamine longstanding practices since its founding and transition to a management system that supports sustainable growth.

He specifically addressed the realities facing the Corporation, such as the prolonged leadership vacuum, the limits of quantitative growth on domestic routes, the stagnant revenue structure, and mounting financial burdens, and presented key management policies to guide the Corporation toward becoming a centennial company.

President Kim emphasized, “We will establish 'public safety' as the absolute standard for management,” adding, “To ensure that the public can visit airports with confidence, we will build a prevention-focused safety system that proactively detects and eliminates potential risks.”

He continued, “By thoroughly redesigning the Corporation’s revenue generation and cost management, as well as the overall financial structure, we will establish a ‘robust financial foundation’ for sustainable management.”

To achieve this, he committed to normalizing facility usage fees and investment funding, which have long been frozen; leveraging commercial facilities in line with evolving passenger consumption patterns; and actively developing tourism products linked to regionally specialized content, with the goal of achieving 1 trillion won in sales and profitable operations.

In addition, he stated that by integrating AI and robotics into airport operations—building on the Corporation’s pioneering work in smart technologies such as Airport Construction Information Modeling (KAC-BIM)—he intends to realize an intelligent, future-ready airport.

Lastly, he announced plans to strengthen performance- and competency-based human resources management, enhance communication across generations and job categories, and boldly improve entrenched work practices, thereby fostering a dynamic and trustworthy “one team” organizational culture.

Immediately following the inauguration, President Kim Wonjun scheduled a visit to Muan Airport to pay tribute to the victims of the 12.29 passenger plane disaster, and to offer his deepest condolences and support to the bereaved families enduring immense hardship. He also plans to personally inspect the disaster site, where a renewed search for remains is underway, as well as the storage facility for recovered belongings.

President Kim called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the 12.29 passenger plane disaster and pledged to provide meticulous support at the Corporation level for the families until all follow-up procedures are complete, underscoring the weight of his responsibility.

President Kim stated, “What the Corporation needs now is bold innovation that makes safety the top priority and creates new paths for growth. We will rebound as a trusted public enterprise, leading the growth of Korea’s aviation industry.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.