South Korea to intensify passenger pre-screening prior to flying

South Korea said Tuesday it will ban potential terrorists or other dangerous passengers from boarding any plane bound for the Asian country at the point of departure, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The Ministry of Justice said it will analyze passenger information before airlines issue boarding passes to restrict inappropriate ones, such as terrorists, from flying into South Korea.

The move will take effect in January. South Korea is also pushing for an anti-terrorism bill following the deadly attacks in Paris that killed more than 120 people.

South Korea recently deported three Indonesians for their associations with a terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaida.

Currently, South Korea is pre-screening passengers who use South Korean carriers at eight airports in five countries, including Nagoya Airport in Japan, in a test operation.

South Korea plans to extend the pre-screening of passengers to other airports in 2016.

The Immigration Bureau has until now been receiving passenger information through a passenger information system only after take-off, making offenses on board the planes difficult to prevent.

In September, the ministry made a pre-announcement of a bill revision that would mandate carriers to provide passenger information to the ministry for approval before issuing tickets.