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'Sightseeing flights' take passengers over Dokdo on Liberation Day
Passengers look out of the window to enjoy the view, Sunday, during a “sightseeing flight” that took them over South Korean islets in the East Sea, Dokdo, on the Liberation Day. Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
'Sightseeing flights' to the Dokdo islets were operated for the first time on Sunday, on the occasion of National Liberation Day marking the 76th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
North Gyeongsang Province hosted the special event in a bid to promote a new Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province integrated airport scheduled to open in 2028 and another one scheduled to open on Ulleung Island near Dokdo in 2025.
Dokdo has long been at the center of a territorial dispute between Korea and Japan, and the airspace over the islets is a military zone where passenger planes are usually not permitted to fly.
The special event involving passenger flights was possible this time as a result of a month of consultations between the province and the Ministry of National Defense.
Domestic air carrier Hi Air sent two 50-seat flights out of Daegu International Airport at 8:15 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., flying about 90 passengers in total over the country's easternmost islets and then returning to Daegu.
During the flights, passengers were given an opportunity of reflecting on the meaning of Liberation Day.
Two parents in their 30s who boarded the special plane with their son said the event was a meaningful opportunity to teach history to their son.
Choi Hyuck-joon, who is in charge of constructing new airports and the overseeing of the event, said, “A lot of people have shown interest in the event. We will continue to give efforts to finish construction on the new Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province and Ulleung Island airports.”