hankyoreh

A Korean Air passenger plane sits on the tarmac at Incheon International Airport in this undated file photo. (Yonhap News)

Korean Air has been fined a penalty of over 100 billion won by Russia’s customs authority. The airline announced that it will be filing an administrative litigation challenging the fine.

According to what Korean Air Lines Co. disclosed on Thursday, one of the airline’s cargo flights (KE 529) that departed from Incheon Airport on Feb. 22 last year and headed to Frankfurt via Moscow took off from Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow after being cleared by air traffic control authorities, but afterward, the airline was notified that the plane had departed the airport without receiving the official seal of Russian customs. Russia’s airport customs imposed an 8 billion-ruble fine (US$99 million) on Korean Air on Feb. 24, more than a year after the incident.

Regarding the penalty, Korean Air argued that “Russian customs imposed a harsh fine by overapplying the law.” During a phone call with the Hankyoreh, a Korean Air official said, “We submitted every document and data in accordance with Russian regulations. We cleared the cargo with customs without incident and even received prior approval via an electronic document. Afterward, the airplane was moved after receiving clearances from border control and the airport’s air traffic control authorities.”

“Based on the fact that we followed all rules and procedures except receiving the official seal of the customs office, we did not intend to violate the law,” the official explained.

Though Korean Air repeatedly explained the above to Sheremetyevo International Airport’s customs authorities, the latter did not accept the airline’s clarification. Stating that it cannot accept the penalty, the Korean Air official said that the airline “filed an appeal with Russia’s Federal Customs Service” and that “[the case] is being evaluated directly by Moscow’s air and maritime traffic prosecution service.”

“We plan to faithfully explain ourselves and take all possible measures, including an administrative litigation, to bring about the cancellation or reduction of the exorbitant fine,” the official added.

By Kwak Jin-san, staff reporter

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