South Korea Plans to Launch Direct Flights to Iran - Ministry of Transport

The South Korean Ministry of Transport will award a flight license to Korean Air, to ferry passengers and air freight 4 times a week between Incheon International airport in Seoul and Tehran, according to Yonhap news agency.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — Seoul plans to open a direct air link with Iran following the lifting of international sanctions against the country, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated Friday.

"Iran has abundant natural resources and consumers. It had been one of our biggest economic partners in the 1970s <…> The opening of the direct flight route will foster business exchanges between the two countries and strengthen bilateral cooperation," the ministry said, as quoted by Yonhap news agency.

In January, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that it planned to work on the restoration of economic ties with Iran, after the lifting of international sanctions.

On July 14, 2015, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries comprising Russia, the United States, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany, signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The agreement guarantees the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

In January, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified Iran’s compliance with the terms of the JCPOA. The confirmation led to the immediate lifting of UN, US and EU sanctions linked to the country's nuclear program.