"Most Passengers Are North Koreans"
"Main Area of Cooperation Is Only the Military Sector"
Contrary to reports by Russian media, it has been revealed that most seats were empty on the recently launched direct flight between Moscow, Russia, and Pyongyang, North Korea.
On August 6 (local time), NK News, a U.S.-based outlet specializing in North Korea, reported that Russian state media had released conflicting reports regarding the number of passengers on the Moscow-Pyongyang route, raising questions about the actual number of users and the purpose of the route.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that on the 29th of last month, amid the expanding and strengthening multifaceted exchanges and contacts between North Korea and Russia, the direct flight route between Pyongyang and Moscow was resumed. A ceremony celebrating this was held on the 28th at Pyongyang International Airport. Yonhap News Agency
According to the report, the first direct flight between Moscow and Pyongyang, operated by Russia's Nordwind Airlines using a Boeing 777-200ER, departed Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport on the evening of July 28 (local time) and arrived in Pyongyang the following day.
Regarding this, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that ticket prices for this flight started at 44,700 rubles (about 770,000 won), and that all tickets were sold out within five days of sales opening. Russian state TV Channel One also reported that "round-trip tickets were sold out."
However, video footage from inside the aircraft told a completely different story. Other state TV channels, Russia 24 and Russia 1, reported that most seats on the Pyongyang-bound flight departing from Moscow were empty, and that the few occupied seats were taken by North Korean passengers.
A Russia 1 reporter stated that only about 80 people were on board the flight from Moscow to Pyongyang, and that most of them were either North Koreans or members of the Russian delegation led by Alexander Kozlov, Russia's Minister of Natural Resources.
Chris Monday, a professor at Dongseo University, told NK News that both Russia and North Korea had described the launch of the direct flight as being for tourism purposes, but pointed out that photos of the actually empty airplane seats reveal a different reality.
He said, "The main cooperation between the two countries appears to be in the military sector, while commercial and tourism connections seem weak." He added, "North Korea considers the resumption of travel important because it can send officials, military officers, and workers to Russia, but for Russia, it is only a secondary matter."
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