SEOUL -- To prepare for the post-pandemic era, South Korea's main gateway in the western port city of Incheon will house an esports arena in an idle area to hold gaming tournaments and offer visitors a place to spend time playing video games.
According to Incheon International Airport, the number of people who used the airport in the first half of 2021 was about 1.1 million, down 97 percent from the same period of 2019. Before the first wave of a coronavirus pandemic hit South Korea in 2020, an average of more than one million travelers used the iconic gateway every day.
Incheon International Airport Corporation would build a "Gamer Lounge" zone at an idle space in its first terminal, along with a digital museum and a promotional area for duty-free stores in other spaces. "We will upgrade our airport's commercial areas into integrated cultural zones," CEO Kim Kyung-wook said in a statement on December 27.