A Message to South Korea?
Korean Air was fined 110 billion won by Russian airport customs authorities, the national flag carrier said on April 21. The large fine is seen as Russia's message to South Korea, which is likely to join Western sanctions against Russia.
Korean Air’s cargo flight (Flight KE529) from Incheon, Korea to Frankfurt, Germany via Moscow departed from Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow with take-off permission on Feb. 22, 2021, but the airport customs service pointed out that the flight omitted part of the departure procedure. The Russian authorities argued that it was illegal for the Korean Air plane to take off without a customs seal, which must be obtained before the departure. The Russian authorities imposed a fine of 8 billion rubles on Korean Air on Feb. 24, 2022, more than one year later.
Korean Air believes that the fine is exorbitant. The company said the plane departed in accordance with the Russian law. "We submitted all documents and data, cleared cargoes normally and received prior approval in an electronic form from the customs service," the company said. “After that, our aircraft moved with approval from the border guard and airport control authorities. As our airplane abided by all procedures except for the customs seal, it clearly shows we never intended to commit an illegal act.”
Korean Air has filed a complaint with the Russian Federation Customs Service. It said, “The Moscow Air, Maritime and Transportation Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing the Russian customs authorities' measures ex officio and the Russian Federation Customs Service will review them after the process is completed.” The company will take all possible measures, including administrative litigation, to cancel or reduce the excessive fine, while working diligently to explain the fact.
Insiders of the Korean aviation industry say that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is behind the imposition of the fine on Korean Air. The fine imposition was decided was on Feb. 24, when the invasion of Ukraine began. This means that the Russian authorities sent a message to South Korea, anticipating the possibility of Korea’s participation in Western sanctions on Russia.