South Korea will increase flights from China by end of month
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Incheon Airport is resuming 24-hour operations and tourists do not have to submit details of their vaccination.
PHOTO: AFP
SEOUL – South Korea will increase the number of flights into the country from China from 62 to 80 a week by the end of February.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced this on Friday as Seoul’s latest step to ease curbs on travellers from China.
“We will gradually expand the flights to 100 per week from next month, as was agreed by the two countries, and will review an additional increase,” Mr Han said during a meeting on responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The remark comes days after China announced that it will resume issuing short-term visas to travellers from South Korea from Saturday, after South Korea lifted similar visa curbs last week.
South Korea had imposed a number of border measures on travellers from China after Beijing’s decision to lift its zero-Covid policies. But Seoul has been easing some of them, citing an improved Covid-19 situation in its neighbour.
Seoul will decide next week whether to drop remaining border restrictions, including mandatory Covid-19 tests for arrivals from China, Mr Han said.
South Korea’s Finance Ministry said in a monthly economic report that the number of Chinese tourists arriving in January was 30,648, more than triple the number in the same month a year earlier, after the December 2022 figures more than doubled, compared with December 2021. REUTERS
