Flights between South Korea's Gimpo and Haneda in Japan, which have been suspended since March 2020, will resume early next month at the latest. 

A diplomatic source said on Friday that authorities of the two nations reached an agreement to resume the flights from early June, adding the resumption could be moved up further. 

Major airlines in South Korea and Japan, such as Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, JAL and ANA, have already applied to restart their Gimpo-Haneda routes. 

The resumption, which comes after two years and three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is expected to help promote people-to-people exchanges and boost the struggling travel industry.

Even after the outbreak of COVID-19, flights continued between Incheon International Airport and Narita Airport, but the two airports are far from downtown Seoul and Tokyo. However, Gimpo and Haneda airports are closer to the capital cities, allowing travelers easier access to their downtown areas.