Korean Air has relaunched its branding and introduced a new aircraft livery to mark the rebirth of the newly expanded carrier. Pictures published online show the first aircraft to wear the new color scheme, a Boeing 787-10 landing at Seoul-Gimpo Airport (GMP) on March 10, 2025, ahead of the new branding’s official launch on March 11, 2025.

The new livery replaces the current scheme, which was first introduced almost 41 years ago on March 1, 1984, on one of the company’s Boeing 747-300 and a single McDonnell Douglas MD80, both types of which have been long-since retired from the carrier’s fleet. 41 years is a long time for an airline to refresh its branding, so the Asiana merger has given Korean Air the impetus to revisit its corporate image.

The current scheme being replaced was in itself a deviation from the traditional colors of the national flag, with a baby blue upper fuselage color separated from the white lower fuselage by a silver stripe. The airline’s ‘Taegeuk’ (yin yang) logo appeared on the tail in the traditional colors of red, white, and navy blue, while also appearing as the ‘O’ in the airline titles on the forward fuselage in what is now an old fashioned font style.

The tail continues to feature the distinct Taegeuk pattern, although this has been simplified and stylized. The Taegeuk pattern is outlined in the same navy blue as the titles, with red no longer featuring anywhere in the new livery. Notably, the Taegeuk pattern and font used for the company name appear to be the same design as Hanjin Shipping Group, Korean Air’s holding company, and was originally registered with the Korean Intellectual Property Office in early 2022, according to Chosun Biz.