The cancellation of the first commercial flight by North Korea's official airline since the country shut down its international airports in early 2020 due to the Covid pandemic came as a surprise.
Unexpected Flight Cancellation Disappoints Media
In anticipation of the arrival of Flight JS151 from Pyongyang on Monday morning, August 21, at 9:50 AM local time, reporters flocked to Beijing Capital International Airport.
After media outlets had waited for what seemed like an eternity to witness the country's first overseas visitors in years, they were understandably disappointed to find that the flight had been canceled about two hours after its planned arrival.
Air Koryo, the official airline of Pyongyang, canceled the flight, but the airport in Beijing did not provide an explanation, according to AFP via The Guardian.
When asked about the cancellation, Wang Wenbin, a representative for China's foreign ministry, simply said that Beijing and Pyongyang had been given approval to resume commercial flights. He added, "During the summer and autumn flight season ... the Chinese side approved flight plans for passengers such as the Pyongyang-Beijing and Beijing-Pyongyang routes of Air Koryo."
On Monday afternoon, AFP reporters pounded on the locked glass doors of Air Koryo's Beijing headquarters in search of further information. The guy who opened the door repeatedly told AFP, "We don't know." He told reporters that the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North Korean governing party, was the best source for accurate information.
Pyongyang Has Shown Signs of Expanding Its Boundaries
After being cut off from the world for three years because of Covid, Pyongyang is showing indications of opening up its borders and becoming more accommodating.
Last month, North Korea's capital welcomed Chinese and Russian officials for the first time in years for a military showcase. A group of North Korean athletes were permitted to go to Kazakhstan last week to compete in a taekwondo tournament.
Several Asian news agencies said that a group of persons, later identified as North Korean athletes, entered China over the land border last week, continued on to Beijing, and finally boarded a flight to Central Asia.
After more than three years, Air Koryo was finally going to fly a commercial route again. The unification ministry in Seoul, which is in charge of dealing with North Korea, told AFP that they knew nothing about the flight's cancellation.
North Korea's reopening of its borders has been signaled in a number of ways, according to a source. However, "it is difficult to determine yet whether it is a full-scale opening of the border or a fairly limited and controlled opening," they said.
On Monday, NK News reported that Air Koryo planned to operate two flights from Vladivostok, Russia, to Pyongyang, the capital city, on Friday, August 25, and the following Monday, August 28.
