The South Korean government stressed that Korean Air's planned takeover of Asiana Airlines was inevitable to help the country's airline industry overcome the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday said it had previously believed that it was necessary to keep both full service carriers to maintain the industry's global network, on the premise that Asiana's operations could be normalized.

The ministry said, however, that as selling the troubled airline to a third party remains uncertain, Korean Air's takeover of Asiana could help the industry overcome the crisis and offer opportunities for further development.

As for concerns over a monopoly and a possible fare hike from the takeover, the ministry said while it didn't expect a drastic increase due to competition with foreign airlines and low cost carriers, it would ensure that consumer benefits are not hindered.

The ministry also assured that the merger and acquisition will proceed under the principle of maintaining labor forces.