The Korea Customs Service is reviewing setting up a special team to improve its customs administration system with respect to growing suspicion over family members of Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho’s smuggling luxury goods into the country without properly paying duties.

The team will closely monitor the passage for airline employees in the airport that was allegedly misused by Cho’s family for dodging duties and also look into the cozy relations between the customs and airline employees, the customs agency confirmed on Tuesday. 

The team will be under a “task force to innovate customs administration system” that was set up in October, comprising of outside experts.

The setup of the special team came amid growing suspicion that the Korea Customs Service overlooked Hanjin owner family‘s smuggling goods in return for better use of its flights. Last month, emails by the customs officials were disclosed asking for a free upgrade of seats in Korean Air.

The Korea Customs Service was criticized two years ago by the nation’s audit regulator, which said the passage for airline employees was misused for smuggling but the customs agency neglected the issue.

The audit regulator said, “Guarding the passage has not worked well,” uncovering around 30 cases that airline employees attempted to secretly take out duty-free goods, including cosmetics, wine, cigarettes and handbags through the passage.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)