Taiwan, South Korea agree on flights

Taiwan and South Korea has signed an agreement to resume air transportation, which ceased after the two countries cut diplomatic ties in 1992, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced yesterday.

Taiwan's representative to Seoul, Li Tsai-fang (李在方), and South Korea's representative to Taipei Hwang Yong-shik, accompanied by delegations from both nations, signed the agreement at the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) in Taipei at 11am.

Hailed as "a crucial moment, the first step" to repair relationships between Taipei and Seoul -- which severed official ties with Taiwan 12 years ago -- the signing of the pact sidestepped problems relating to Taiwan's sovereignty, sources said.

In the pact, entitled "The Air Transportation Agreement between the Taipei Mission in Korea and the Korean Mission in Taipei," Taiwan and South Korea referred to each other as "parties" and avoided terms with "sovereignty connotations," the sources said.

"The resumption of the air transportation links will facilitate private exchanges between the two countries, boost trade and tourism and strengthen future Taipei-Seoul ties. The agreement bears significant meaning," the ministry said in a press release.

Instead of holding a formal press conference to announce the achievement, the ministry unveiled the event in a press release. Ministry spokesman Michel Lu (呂慶龍) said the signing of the agreement was based on "the principle of equality and mutual benefit."

Lu said flights between Taiwan and Seoul would resume after CAA discusses the details with Taiwan's six domestic airlines.

CAA said in a statement there would be 18 flights between Taipei and Seoul every week, offering a capacity of 4,500 seats. There is no capacity limitation to flights running between other South Korean and Taiwanese cities, the statement added.

"Taiwan does not have diplomatic relationship with South Korea. Signing the pact is a very sensitive matter. MOFA has helped the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) in negotiating the agreement," sources familiar with the negotiation said.

"Due to pressure from China, South Korea did not want to see MOFA officials get too involved during the negotiations ... The pact is a hard-earned thing, a great help to relationship between Taipei and Seoul," the sources said.

"We appreciate the South Korean delegation's good faith in reaching the agreement despite tremendous pressure from Beijing," they said.

South Korea has been more eager to reach the agreement than Taiwan, because Taiwan is a crucial point for South Korea to expand air routes to Southeast Asia, according to negotiators.

"However, for Taiwanese airlines, Seoul is not of such vital interest. Beyond Seoul, Russia's Vladivostok Airport is the only key point. But few Taiwanese tourists want to go there," a negotiator said.

From 1992 to 2002, flights between Taipei and Seoul had been run by airlines from "a third country." In December 2002, both sides agreed to allow domestic airlines to run charter flights between Taipei and Seoul because of increasing need.

"But charter flights are not an enduring solution to a growing need for air transportation between Taiwan and South Korea. After years of negotiations, both sides finally settled on the issue and signed the agreement," Lu said.

Negotiators said Taiwan insisted on not permitting South Korea to extend its air routes to other points in Southeast Asia in the pact.