This beautifully painted Korean Air jet is the one that took us to Korea. It is seen here at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, being made ready to board passengers.
Here’s a close-up (click on image for enlargement):
It is the most cheerfully decorated airplane I’ve ever seen. Although I saw several other Korean Air jets here and in Incheon, none was like this. All the rest were plain pale blue except for the words “KOREAN AIR” and the Ying Yang emblem.
On the way to Korea, we flew over Alaska, the Arctic Sea, and Siberia. Having grown up during the Cold War, when nobody flew over the Soviet Union and got away with it — and remembering in particular the shooting of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, I never expected to be flying over Russia in my life — least of all on the same airline. But there we were! No weapons were fired, and we arrived safely at Incheon.
I am glad that conditions in Russia, and relations between Russia and the rest of the world, have improved since those days. I hope for further improvements; I pray for the peace and integrity of Ukraine.