Asada Mao, surprise visit to Korea..."Kim Yuna is precious to me".

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Mao Asada (33), a former member of the Japanese figure skating national team, mentioned Kim Yu-na, saying, "She is very precious to me."

Mao Asada said in a greeting at the 60th anniversary of the Gimpo-Haneda service held by Japan Airlines (JAL) at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on the afternoon of the 17th, "Yuna is very precious to me because I would not be here without her (competition with her)."

"I was happy to lead an era as a figure skater representing Asia with Yuna," he said.

"It was when I was 14 years old that I first met Yeon-ah," he said. "The mothers knew each other, so we were close enough to exchange rice balls and kimchi."

Mao Asada's remarks came in the atmosphere of celebrating the 60th anniversary of JAL's Gimpo-Haneda service.

More than 200 people from the domestic aviation and travel industries attended the event. JAL reportedly kept Mao Asada's visit to Korea as a secret.

In addition to Mao Asada's greetings, the event was organized with greetings from JAL Vice Chairman Shinichiro Shimizu, congratulatory remarks from Korean Air Vice President Choi Jeong-ho, and piano performance by Professor Lee Mi-kyung, who played at the Korea-Japan Friendship Concert.

Reporter Lee Yu Na from Digital News Team.