Jeju Air to open six China routes amid boycott Japan campaign

Jeju Air / Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

Korean budget carrier Jeju Air will begin services on six new routes to China this month amid an escalating boycott of travel to Japan.

The company said Monday it planned to offer flights from three Korean cities ― Incheon, Busan and Muan ― to six Chinese destinations ― Beijing, Xian Harbin, Yanji, Nantong and Zhangjiajie ― between Aug. 13 and 22.

The move comes after Jeju Air and other Korean airlines decided to suspend services to Japanese destinations as a result of the boycott, which was triggered early last month by the Japanese government's export restrictions ― an apparent retaliation for Korean Supreme Court rulings last year that ordered Japanese companies to pay damages to Korean victims of forced labor during World War II.

Since then, Jeju Air has suspended three unprofitable Japanese routes ― it now operates on 19 routes between the two countries.