Beijing — China’s flag carrier resumed direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang on Monday, shortly after passenger train service between the capitals restarted. The Air China flight was welcomed by the Chinese ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, and other diplomats, Chinese state media reported.
Passenger train service from China to North Korea resumed on March 12. Flights and passenger trains had been suspended since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. North Korean carrier Air Koryo resumed flights between the capitals in 2023.
North Korea banned all foreign tourists during the pandemic but has begun easing restrictions, with a Russian tour group entering the country in 2024. Chinese tour groups had made up about 90% of visitors to North Korea before the ban, and observers were surprised by the delay in resuming Chinese tours.
China is Pyongyang’s biggest trading partner and main ally, though Beijing has expressed disapproval over North Korea’s missile tests that could threaten South Korea and the United States. In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing to attend a large Chinese military parade, the first time in decades a North Korean leader had been present at such an event.
