'Guam Escape' First Flight Arrives at Incheon Airport... 188 Korean Nationals

Guam International Airport Closed for One Week
Over 2,000 Tourists Expected to Arrive by Tomorrow

The repatriation of Korean tourists stranded in Guam, a Pacific resort island, due to the "super typhoon" Mawar has begun. It has been one week since Guam International Airport was closed on the evening of the 22nd.

On the 29th (local time), Jin Air flight LJ942 departed Guam International Airport at around 5:10 PM and arrived at Incheon Airport at 8:50 PM. There were 188 passengers on board.

Tourists waiting to depart at Guam International Airport.
Photo by Yonhap News

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent 11 national flights to Guam today, including 9 from Incheon and 2 from Busan. Starting with Jin Air flights, five flights are scheduled to arrive today. Four flights with about 180 seats each are expected to arrive at Terminal 1 between 9 PM and 10 PM, and the Korean Air passenger flight carrying the largest number of 338 passengers is expected to arrive at Terminal 2 around 11 PM.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that more than 2,000 tourists are scheduled to return from Guam to Korea by this evening and tomorrow morning. In response, the Guam government tourism office operated free buses from major hotels to the airport for returning passengers, and local Korean residents also provided vehicles to help tourists arrive at the airport on time. A rapid response team composed of Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff arrived in Guam today to support departure procedures by distributing bottled water and responding to emergency patients.

Local Korean residents in Guam have been assisting stranded tourists over the past few days by providing temporary shelters, free meal services, and vehicle support.

Although repatriation flights are being prepared one after another, some remain anxious as they have not yet been assigned return flights. While 2,500 people are scheduled to leave Guam over two days, the number of Korean tourists stranded in Guam reaches about 3,400.