Air travel between South Korea and China is steadily rebounding following years of strained relations, initially caused by the 2016 deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and later by the COVID-19 pandemic. The recovery gained momentum starting in November 2024, when China allowed South Korean nationals to enter visa-free for stays of up to 15 days.
Since then, the number of flight routes between the two countries has grown, and South Korean travelers visiting China have gradually increased. At the same time, inbound tourism from China has also risen. This renewed exchange is boosting optimism in South Korea’s domestic market, especially in the retail and tourism sectors, which have faced long periods of stagnation.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, the number of flights between South Korea and China from November 2024 to March 2025 reached 45,157, marking a 9.9% increase from the previous year. Passenger traffic during this period rose by 20.4%, totaling 5.72 million.
