Pyongyang flights begin

Mandarin Airlines (華信航空) launched charter flights to North Korea yesterday to take tourists from Taiwan to attend North Korea's Arirang Festival. The Boeing 737-800 jet carried 163 tourists from Taipei to Pyongyang for the festival marking the 90th birthday of North Korea's late founder Kim Il-sung. North Korea expects to attract 1,000 foreign tourists a day during the Arirang Festival, which kicked off on April 29 and is scheduled to last until June 29. Mandarin Airlines will operate the twice-a-week charter flights to North Korea until June 30.