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Integrated Customs Inspection Model at Incheon Port – A Step Toward Building a Smart Port in Korea

The integrated cargo inspection center at Incheon Port is one of the key initiatives in Korea’s strategy to develop a “Smart Port.” With a high level of automation and the application of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and big data analytics, the model helps shorten customs clearance time, reduce cargo transportation distances, and enhance risk management efficiency in import and export activities.

To modernize cargo inspection and supervision and to promote the development of a smart port system, the Korea Customs Service has implemented an integrated cargo inspection center at Incheon Port. Construction began in March 2022 and was completed in December 2023. The center covers a total area of approximately 99,065 square meters and is located in the Songdo Aam 2 Logistics Complex. It was established by consolidating five customs inspection sites and two container inspection centers that previously operated separately into a single integrated complex.

The integrated cargo inspection center consists of three main components. The first is the container cargo inspection center, which has a capacity of about 160 containers per day—double the previous capacity of 80 containers per day. The second component is the maritime express cargo processing center. This center operates under an automated logistics model and has the capacity to process approximately 22 million consignments per year, a significant increase compared to the previous level of about 12 million consignments. The third component is a designated cargo warehouse area, whose storage space has nearly doubled to meet the increasing demand for cargo storage and inspection.

An important unit within the center is the X-ray image analysis unit for maritime cargo. This unit operates continuously 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with three working shifts. It receives all X-ray scanning images of cargo passing through Incheon Port and conducts centralized analysis and evaluation on a real-time basis. Since 2009, the Korea Customs Service has applied image analysis software that allows X-ray images and cargo information to be displayed simultaneously on the same screen, enabling faster and more efficient identification and comparison with customs declarations. Over time, these systems have been continuously upgraded and integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to support the automatic detection, classification and identification of high-risk consignments.

Meanwhile, the maritime express cargo processing center is equipped with 11 automated conveyor lines. Consignments with dimensions not exceeding one meter in both length and width are loaded from transport vehicles onto the conveyor system through a closed-loop process. Each line is integrated with an IPS device to read cargo information, an X-ray scanner, and an automated sorting system. After the cargo is scanned, the image analysis results from the X-ray image analysis unit are transmitted to the sorting system integrated with AI algorithms. The system automatically determines which consignments are eligible for clearance into domestic consumption and which require physical inspection.

For consignments that do not meet the size requirements to run on the automated conveyor system, processing is carried out through manual or semi-automated lanes. Larger consignments are scanned using mobile X-ray equipment.

The construction and operation of the integrated cargo inspection center at Incheon Port have shortened the distance required to transport cargo from the port to inspection sites while enhancing cargo processing capacity and control efficiency. This model also plays an important role in Korea’s strategy to transform Incheon Port into a “Smart Port,” characterized by a high level of automation and the application of technologies such as robotics, AI, and Big Data analytics. As a result, cargo inspection, X-ray scanning, and electronic data verification are conducted in a centralized manner, significantly reducing customs clearance time while maintaining strict control over high-risk consignments.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -SB-