SEOUL, November 3 (Yonhap) -- The international passenger ship between Korea and Japan, which was paused after COVID-19, will be resumed after two years and eight months.
 
The Busan Port Authority announced on Thursday that the Queen Beetle ferry, which connects Busan and Fukuoka, Japan, will enter Busan Port on November 3 with 140 passengers.
 
The ferry is around 2 thousand 600 tons, and it fits 502 passengers. 
 
International passenger ships linking Busan and Japan have been paused since March 9, 2020, and officially resumed on October 28.
 
Fanstar Dream departed for Osaka with some passengers on November 1, but it is the first time the Queen Beetle ferry arriving at Busan Port with Japanese passengers on board since COVID-19.
 
The Busan Port Authority is currently expecting other ships to resume operations as soon as the shipping company's recruitment period and preparations for local ports in Japan are completed.
 
An official from the Busan Port Authority said, "We expect that the suspended Korea-Japan international route will resume in earnest, starting with the Queen Beetle ferry, which will help revitalize the marine tourism industry and the local economy."
 
 
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)
 
 
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