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The dashed line joins the two city centres; the true shortest path on the globe is a great-circle arc, and real flight paths also bend around restricted airspace and follow airways.

North over the sea

The great-circle line runs almost due north. It leaves Taiwan's northern tip, crosses the East China Sea, passes west of Jeju Island and makes landfall on the Korean Peninsula's southwest coast before reaching Seoul. Most flights use Taoyuan (TPE) and Incheon (ICN), but there is also a direct link between Taipei Songshan (TSA) and Seoul Gimpo (GMP), two airports within their cities. Nonstop service is frequent.

A connection that was rebuilt

South Korea and the Republic of China in Taiwan had formal diplomatic ties until 1992, when Seoul established relations with the People's Republic of China. Scheduled flights between Taiwan and South Korea stopped after the break and only resumed in 2004 under a new aviation arrangement. Since then the route has grown into a major tourist corridor, helped by Korean pop culture's popularity in Taiwan and Taiwanese food's popularity in Korea.

The two economies have a lot in common: both are export-driven technology manufacturers, and both are leading producers of semiconductors and electronics. The South Korea vs Taiwan comparison sets out the figures.