Regarding reports that North Korea's Korea Air Koryo will resume flights to Vladivostok, Russia next week, attention is focused on whether North Korea will fully open its borders following the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the 18th (local time), according to reports from Sputnik and Interfax news agencies, a representative of Vladivostok International Airport stated that flights operated by Air Koryo are scheduled for the 25th and 28th of this month.
Air Koryo recently announced on its website that the ticket price for the Pyongyang?Vladivostok route is $230 (approximately 310,000 KRW), and the Pyongyang?Beijing, China route is 1,750 yuan (approximately 320,000 KRW).
The Pyongyang?Vladivostok route was the only flight connecting North Korea and Russia before COVID-19. Although it operated twice a week, North Korea suspended flights in February 2020 citing quarantine measures.
While plans for flight operations between the two countries have continued to be detected, such as being posted on the international airport’s website, actual flights had not resumed. However, with recent reports suggesting that North Korea’s border opening is imminent, there is growing speculation that flights will indeed resume this time.
Earlier, Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador to North Korea, said in an interview regarding prospects for resuming North Korea-Russia exchanges, "We are reviewing a wide range of issues to restore exchanges between the two countries after the COVID-19 pandemic."
If the resumption of flights actually takes place, it is expected that the flights could be used not only for personnel movement but also for transporting goods each country needs, such as food or weapons.
Alongside the trend of reopening transportation between North Korea and Russia, attention is also drawn to signs of border opening between North Korea and China. On the 16th, buses carrying dozens of North Korean Taekwondo athletes traveled back and forth across the Yalu River railway bridge connecting Sinuiju, North Korea, and Dandong, Liaoning Province, China.
On the 17th, the National Intelligence Service also stated that North Korea is gradually promoting border opening with China while focusing on economic revitalization and improving relations with China.
However, due to the possibility of a COVID-19 resurgence, North Korea is expected to be cautious about fully opening its borders. Therefore, the Asian Games scheduled to be held next month in Hangzhou, China, where North Korea plans to participate, is also analyzed as a litmus test for North Korea’s willingness to open up.
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