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Forty Korean tourists return from Dubai amid rising Middle East tensions

Published: 05 Mar. 2026, 16:56 Updated: 05 Mar. 2026, 17:12

A notice board displays flight information for departures to Dubai at Incheon International Airport on March 2. [NEWS1]

A flight carrying Korean tourists from Dubai landed at Incheon International Airport on Thursday afternoon. They were evacuated because of recent military clashes in the Middle East involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

The group of 40 Korean tourists returned home via Taipei, Taiwan, arriving at the airport at around 3:40 p.m. They were reportedly traveling with Hana Tour and are expected to leave individually after clearing immigration.

An additional 39 tourists from Mode Tour departed Dubai on a replacement flight at 4 a.m. Thursday. They are scheduled to transfer to a Korean Air flight in Taipei and arrive at Incheon International Airport at around 10:40 p.m. the same day.

Many Korean tour groups remain in Dubai. As of Wednesday, travel agencies estimated that more than 300 tourists were still in the city, including about 150 with Hana Tour, 190 with Mode Tour and around 70 with Yellow Balloon Tour.

Tourists with Yellow Balloon Tour are expected to return to Korea via replacement flights on Sunday and Monday.

Travel agencies are struggling to secure return flights. A direct Emirates flight from Dubai to Incheon scheduled to depart early Thursday was canceled. Dubai International Airport is also currently operating only limited flights from some airlines, including Emirates.

Travel agencies are trying to reroute tourists through Taiwan or Southeast Asian countries before returning them to Korea, but the schedule continues to be delayed as securing flights remains difficult.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]