Well, this must be the oldest thread I have ever added a post to! Over 12 years since the last post.
Haven’t been to Incheon for a few years now but remember it well as having one of the most ridiculous security procedures I have come across.
Still quite ridiculous if you make a mistake like I did today.
I've transited Incheon several times as a SLF over the past few years and never had problems. I arrived in Terminal 1 after a three hour night flight from Hanoi and I had over nine hours to kill before boarding my flight to Canada, so I had planned to take a room in the airside transit hotel. Unfortunately, the Terminal 1 hotel was closed so I decided to go to the one in Terminal 2 and took the shuttle train. Having arrived in Terminal 2, I discovered that due to the peculiar security systems, I couldn't get to the transit hotel.
So I decided to go back to Terminal 1, but discovered that the shuttle train is a one-way system - I couldn't go back*. After explaining my predicament to a very helpful girl at an Information counter, she arranged for me to be escorted back. My security officer escort was obviously used to this, because he apologized to me for the ridiculous procedure!
* To be fair, there is a notice by the doors where you board the train, but I didn't notice it in my befuddled state. I only noticed it on the return trip.