North Korea Resumes International Flights to China and Russia Amidst COVID-19

North Korea has resumed limited commercial flights to China and Russia, marking its first return to civilian aviation since January 2020. Air Koryo, North Korea's state-operated airline, is operating three flights a week from Pyongyang to Beijing, bringing back North Korean nationals who were stranded in China during the pandemic. Some of the passengers are believed to be high-status individuals associated with Kim Jong Un's regime. Another commercial flight arrived in Vladivostok, Russia, with no official flight schedule announced for Air Koryo's routes to Russian airports. North Korean air travel infrastructure is primarily restricted to the nation's elites and its few allies.