Resumption of Gimpo~Japan Haneda Flight Route from the 29th

The Gimpo~Haneda flight route will reopen starting June 29.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 22nd that they have agreed with Japan to resume the Gimpo~Haneda route from the 29th and plan to implement a welcome campaign for tourists visiting Korea.

The Gimpo~Haneda route, which began operations in 2003, has established itself as a representative business route between Korea and Japan. It was a golden route with excellent accessibility between the two capitals, boasting a peak season load factor close to 98%, but operations have been suspended since March 2020 due to COVID-19.

President Yoon Suk-yeol met with the chairman of the Korea-Japan Parliamentary League on the 11th of last month, shortly after his inauguration, expressing his intention to restore Korea-Japan relations and emphasizing the need to resume the Gimpo~Haneda route to revitalize exchanges between the two countries.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport completed preparations to reopen international flights at Gimpo Airport in May and has been consulting with Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to restore the Gimpo~Haneda route. On the 21st, the two countries agreed through a virtual meeting between aviation authorities to resume the Gimpo~Haneda route on June 29, operating eight flights per week.

Both countries plan to gradually increase the number of flights from July, considering the rising demand and the readiness of airlines.

Additionally, with the resumption of short-term tourist visa issuance, which was suspended in April 2020, from June this year, tourism to Korea via the Gimpo~Haneda route will also become possible.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to actively spread the message of tourism resumption by opening a welcome booth for foreign tourists at Gimpo Airport to mark the reopening of this route.

Furthermore, in the second half of the year, they plan to hold Korean tourism briefings in major Japanese cities and promote the restoration of networks between the tourism industries of both countries through local travel fairs, focusing on revitalizing the Japanese inbound tourism market and rebuilding the domestic tourism industry.

Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "The Gimpo~Haneda route is a route with high symbolic significance connecting Seoul and Tokyo," adding, "I hope that the resumption of flights will serve as a catalyst to reactivate exchanges between Korea and Japan."