"It Felt Unreal When I Saw Seoul"... Korean Family Escapes from Dubai

Airport Closures and Flight Cancellations Continue
Border Taxi Reservations Canceled, Fares Soar
Paid 1.3 Million Won for Travel for Three People

As the situation in the Middle East rapidly deteriorates following airstrikes on Iran by the United States and Israel, a wave of foreign nationals staying in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), are fleeing the country. With airport closures and flight cancellations occurring in succession, some travelers have resorted to alternative routes, such as land travel, to return home. Against this backdrop, on March 4, a Korean college student, identified as Mr. A, released a video titled "Escaping from Dubai" on his YouTube channel, sharing the urgent process of returning home with his family.

The hotel where Mr. A stayed and the land route from Oman immigration checkpoint to Muscat International Airport. YouTube

Mr. A was on vacation with his family, traveling to Dubai and Oman. They had originally planned to return to Incheon on a Korean Air direct flight on February 29, but after the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, Dubai International Airport was closed and their flight was canceled. Mr. A explained, "I was worried about failing the semester as the new term was about to start, but after seeing photos of the bombings on Twitter, I changed my mind." He added, "The location in the photos was not far from our hotel."

He convinced his family to leave Dubai and travel overland to Oman, then fly home from there. Although many participants in an online chatroom for Korean expatriates suggested that it would be safer to remain in Dubai, Mr. A's family decided to move immediately. The buses from Dubai to Oman were already sold out. Ultimately, Mr. A booked a taxi to cross the border and travel to Muscat International Airport in Oman, and at the same time, purchased flight tickets to Incheon via Phuket, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

However, the taxi company abruptly canceled the reservation the next day, citing instability at the border. When Mr. A protested, the company connected him to another taxi company, and he was finally able to secure a vehicle the following morning. Mr. A reported that while waiting for the taxi, the situation remained tense, with the sound of explosions audible outside the hotel.

Amid rapidly escalating tensions in the Middle East following attacks by the United States and Israel that resulted in the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, flights from Incheon Airport to Dubai on the 1st are being canceled. Yonhap News

Mr. A's family passed through the UAE exit checkpoint and the Oman entry checkpoint, then switched to another taxi and traveled for about four hours to arrive at Muscat, the capital of Oman. The taxi fare from Dubai to Oman for three people was approximately 1.3 million won. He commented, "We had just come to Dubai after finishing our trip in Oman, but I never imagined we would return to Oman again after only a day," adding, "It felt as if time was flowing endlessly."

The family waited about four hours at Muscat Airport before departing for Phuket, Thailand. After a layover of more than six hours at Phuket Airport, they boarded a flight to Incheon via Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mr. A said, "When I could finally see Seoul in front of me, it felt surreal," and "It was as if I had traveled around the world in eighty days and finally returned."

As the United States and Israel attack Iran, worsening the situation in the Middle East, travelers and other visitors who had been in the Middle East on the 5th are entering through Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport. Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, as tensions in the Middle East escalate following the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, demand for evacuation from Dubai and other regions is surging. In some cases, evacuation costs for a family of four on chartered flights have reportedly soared to as much as 250,000 dollars (about 370 million won). Taxi fares for travel from Dubai to neighboring countries such as Oman or Saudi Arabia have also skyrocketed to several thousand dollars, with some cases reportedly demanding over 7 million won, sparking controversy. Amid these events, direct flights between Dubai and Incheon, which had been suspended due to the aftermath of the airstrikes, reportedly resumed operation on March 6.

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