Will we ever be able to feel the excitement and joy that we had at airports before the COVID-19 outbreak? 

After eight months of border shutdowns, the Incheon International Airport, one of the largest and busiest airports in Asia, appears to be trying to return to normalcy. 

Yet, the third-floor departure area remains eerily quiet, as people continue to refrain from flying abroad under travel restrictions. 

On the first floor for arrivals, hundreds of quarantine officials are still battling the novel coronavirus. They are busy at the front lines as overseas travelers fly into Korea. 

Ever since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Korea on Jan. 20, quarantine officials at the airport have been on guard 24 hours a day, seven days a week, looking out for potential patients. 

Those who arrive at the Incheon International Airport are guided by the quarantine officials in accordance with the so-called “K-quarantine” manual that has awed many countries. 

Since Korea has not imposed an entry ban on any place aside from China’s Hubei Province, the quarantine officials check the physical conditions of every single visitor to Korea as part of efforts to contain any further spread of COVID-19 within the country.

Written by Song Su-hyun
Photos by Park Hyun-koo