A woman entering the country was subjected to a body search, including removing her sanitary pad, due to a malfunction in airport customs drug detection equipment.
According to Daegu Main Customs on the 18th, a high drug reaction reading was recorded from electronic cigarette liquid in a suitcase at Daegu Airport on the morning of the 8th using an ion scanner, a drug detection device.
The suitcase belonged to a group, including a woman in her 30s identified as Ms. A, who informed customs officials that the electronic cigarette liquid was hers.
In response, Daegu Main Customs used a millimeter-wave scanner, a machine that identifies objects attached to the body, to inspect Ms. A and her group.
The inspection revealed an object attached near Ms. A’s pants, which turned out to be the sanitary pad she was wearing. She was then taken to an employee room, where she had to remove and show the pad to a female customs officer.
After 20 minutes of inspection, Daegu Main Customs concluded that there were no suspicious items related to drugs.
According to a report by Yonhap News, Ms. A stated that she was so stressed by the incident at the airport that she experienced bleeding for five days.
A Daegu Main Customs official explained, “Recently, there have been two cases where individuals were caught attempting to smuggle drugs by hiding them in specific body parts.”
The official also added, “Due to the significant societal issues surrounding drugs, our employees were diligent in their efforts, which led to this incident occurring.”
Regarding the drug detection equipment malfunction, the official mentioned, “The molecular composition of the liquid electronic cigarette is similar to that of drugs, which does not happen frequently,” and assured, “We will work to prevent innocent citizens from being affected in the future.”