Gyeongbuk Province and Gyeongbuk Tourism Organization Sign Business Agreement with China Southern Airlines, Asia's Largest Airline

Cooperation on Route Launch and Charter Flight Operations

On the 14th, Gyeongbuk Province signed a business agreement at the Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office with China Southern Airlines, Asia's largest airline, and the Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation to establish international routes and charter flights between Gyeongbuk Province and China.

The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province; Wang Xun (王巡), Head of China Southern Airlines Korea Office; and Kim Seong-jo, President of the Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation.

Wang Xun, General Manager of China Southern Airlines Korea Branch (left), Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province (center), and Kim Seong-jo, President of Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement.

Founded in 1989, China Southern Airlines is one of China's three major state-owned airlines and the largest airline in Asia, ranking third among 240 airlines in the IATA.

In 2019, it transported over 150 million passengers and operates a fleet of more than 900 aircraft. With hubs in Guangzhou, Beijing, Urumqi, and Chongqing, it operates an extensive network of about 2,000 daily flights to 190 destinations across 40 countries and regions worldwide.

The Korean office was established in 1994 and currently operates in Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Daegu, and Cheongju.

Through this agreement, Gyeongbuk Province, China Southern Airlines, and the Tourism Corporation will mutually cooperate on promotional activities, consulting, and advisory services related to aviation in Gyeongbuk; the establishment of international routes from Gyeongbuk to China; cooperation on charter flight operations to revitalize local airports; collaboration to maximize the effects of new international routes through mutual tourism development; and administrative support for China Southern Airlines’ route establishment and operations upon the opening of Daegu-Gyeongbuk Airport.

As a result of this agreement, Gyeongbuk Province expects to quickly initiate charter flights for group tourists and cargo transport from Pohang-Gyeongju Airport, and in the future, anticipate China Southern Airlines establishing routes and commencing operations upon the opening of Daegu-Gyeongbuk Airport.

As of August 2023, approximately 6.55 million foreign tourists visited South Korea this year, with about 1 million estimated to be Chinese tourists, showing a rapid recovery to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Accordingly, Gyeongbuk Province and the Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation have agreed to cooperate in developing Gyeongbuk-specialized tourism products using China Southern Airlines’ charter flights to attract Chinese group tourists.

Additionally, when the 2025 APEC Summit is hosted in Gyeongju, it is expected that over 6,000 attendees, including leaders from 21 member countries, will temporarily operate charter flights to Pohang-Gyeongju Airport.

Gyeongbuk Province also sees the need for new route establishment and cargo charter flights to expand exports of fresh agricultural products such as Shine Muscat grapes and strawberries, which are gaining popularity daily due to K-Culture.

Starting with China Southern Airlines’ cargo charter flights, the province plans to diversify export markets for Gyeongbuk agricultural products to China, Japan, Southeast Asia, as well as the Americas and Europe.

Wang Xun, Head of China Southern Airlines Korea Office, said, “On behalf of China Southern Airlines, I am pleased to sign this business agreement with Gyeongbuk Province and the Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation today. Through this agreement, China Southern Airlines will actively cooperate in aviation-related promotion, consulting, and advisory services for Gyeongbuk Province, and we look forward to strengthening cooperation in international route operations and joint tourism development.”

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, stated, “I am very pleased and honored to sign a business agreement with China Southern Airlines, Asia’s largest airline. We will do our best to establish a global-level aviation logistics infrastructure and secure various international routes so that aircraft from around the world can gather at Daegu-Gyeongbuk Airport and take off again to the world.”

Gyeongbuk Province plans to continue strong networking with major domestic and international air logistics companies to foster the air logistics industry and attract businesses. To this end, on the 15th, it will launch the ‘Aviation Industry Thinknet,’ a cooperative network among Gyeongbuk Province, companies, universities, affiliated organizations, and local governments, and in December, it will hold an ‘International Logistics Forum’ to attract global logistics companies, accelerating the construction of a global air logistics economic zone alongside the opening of Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport in 2030.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.