K-Culture Insight

The aviation industry in South Korea is showing promising signs of recovery as the number of passengers using Korean flag air carriers surged by almost 24 percent in May compared to the previous year. This significant growth comes as the country moves towards a return to pre-pandemic normalcy. Government data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revealed that Korean airlines transported a total of 9.32 million passengers on both international and domestic routes during the month, marking a substantial increase from 7.54 million passengers in May of the previous year. One of the notable aspects of this surge is the substantial growth in international passengers, which witnessed a more than sixfold increase, reaching 3.6 million in May. In comparison, the corresponding figure in the previous year stood at 556,000. While international travel had been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the resumption of international flights by local carriers has played a...