Jeju Air, Jin Air reeling from worsening Seoul-Tokyo ties

Jeju Air, Jin Air, T'way Air and other low-cost carriers are reeling from a drop in the number of Koreans visiting Japan amid the growing anti-Japan sentiment here, according to industry analysts Monday. The trend will likely accelerate in line with worsening Korea-Japan ties since Tokyo imposed restrictions on exports to Korea of high-tech materials essential for manufacturing chips and display panels, wreaking havoc on budget carriers during the peak summer vacation season. They said LCCs increased their reliance on routes to Japan after Korea's 2017 diplomatic row with China, but the number of Japan-bound travelers declined in the first half of this year, and the fresh conflict between Korea and Japan will deal an additional blow to their profitability. Along with Koreans' growing anti-Japan sentiment, Japanese media outlets reported that Tokyo is additionally considering strengthening visa rules on Koreans.<br/>