A Democratic Progressive Party legislator said yesterday that he will urge the Ministry of Trans-portation and Communica-tions to promote a regular charter flight service between Hua-lien and Seoul.
Legislator Lu Po-kee (
Travel agencies said that they had originally planned two flights, but because of the enthusiastic response from the public, an additional flight was added.
The full bookings underlines the huge potential of tourism markets in both places, they added.
Lu said that in line with the government's goal to double tourist arrivals by 2008, he will ask the ministry to help promote trade opportunities in South Korea, and promote regular charter flights between the two countries to effectively help tour-ism operators tap the market.
Lu noted that since Hualien Airport opened to chartered flight services in October 2001, 16 charter flights have been completed.
With the popularity of South Korean TV drama programs in Taiwan, traveling to South Korea has become a fad here, he said.
Korean Air last year sent a team to Hualien to assess the situation and took the initiative to offer six charter services, but the proposal was ditched because the government said that there was no diplomatic relations between the two countries, which he said dealt a blow to Hualien tourism operators.
People should continue to cheer for Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) at the Olympics Games in Paris today, despite British writer J.K. Rowling’s remarks against her, the Sports Administration said in a statement on Wednesday. Rowling recently shared on X a story from the Guardian about Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif being cleared to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris this year despite having failed gender eligibility tests at the International Boxing Association Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi last year. “What will it take to end this insanity? A female boxer left with life-altering injuries? A female boxer
DISCRIMINATORY: Airlines’ uniform requirements contravene the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, a watchdog said Airline companies’ appearance requirements obliging female flight attendants to wear pencil skirts and high heels are discriminatory, and they should be able to have the option to wear pants, the National Human Rights Commission said in a report yesterday. Completing a year-long probe, commission members said the uniform requirements of Taiwan’s air carriers contravened the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). To fight gender-based discrimination, government agencies should issue guidelines and require airlines to make changes so that female flight attendants have the option to wear pants, the report said. The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union in
SATELLITE MISSION: Today’s mission is to take off from the Xichang Launch Center and is pathed over Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, the defense ministry said China has a rocket launch scheduled for today, with the path likely to cross Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The launch would be among at least a dozen Chinese satellite missions in the past 18 months that have passed over the zone or Taiwan, although none threatened national security as they had left the atmosphere by that stage in their flight. The ministry first started making details of such launches public this year. Today’s mission is to take off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China’s Sichuan Province, the ministry said, citing an official announcement
COGNITIVE WARFARE: The People’s Liberation Army’s recent military exercises near Taiwan aim to intimidate the Taiwanese public, a legislator said Two sorties of Chinese drones were detected flying around the perimeter of Taiwan proper between 6am on Saturday and 6am yesterday, according to the Ministry of National Defense. A total of 31 Chinese military aircraft — which included several drones — and 12 Chinese warships were detected operating in and near the Taiwan Strait over the 24-hour period, the ministry said. Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said the maneuvers were likely aimed at affecting public sentiment in Taiwan, demonstrating defiance toward the US’ two-plus-two talks with India and Australia, and enacting China’s polarized strategy of pushing