The first commercial flight of the North Korean airline Air Koryo in three years arrived today at theBeijing Capital Airport.
Flight JS151 from Pyongyang landed in Beijing at 9:17 a.m. (01:38 GMT), according to the Chinese capital’s airport. There North Korea suspended all commercial flights and closed its borders in early 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. An Air Koryo flight, scheduled to land in Beijing yesterday, was canceled at the last moment without giving any reason.
In addition to the connection between Pyongyang and Beijing, Air Koryo must resume in the coming days a connection between the North Korean capital and Vladivostok, in Russia, according to the site specialized in North Korea NK News.
In recent weeks, signs of a possible reopening of the North Korean borders have multiplied, after three years of isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last month, Russian and Chinese officials attended a military parade in Pyongyang, the first foreigners to be able to visit North Korea in several years.
Meanwhile, North Korea sent athletes from China to a taekwondo competition in Kazakhstan last week. No athlete representing North Korea has been seen competing overseas since the start of the pandemic.
