S.Korea, DPRK to launch two new joint tour projects

Two new tourism projects that allow South Korean tourists to visit famous historical city and highest mountain in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will be launched in August, said head of South Korean Hyundai Group on Sunday.

DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Il has approved the two projects, said South Korean Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun upon her returning from the DPRK, reported South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

She held meeting with Kim Jong Il on Saturday at the DPRK's port city Wonsan.

"We're planning to start the Kaesong tourism project on a pilot basis on Aug. 15. We believe tours to Mount Paekdu (Chang Bai mountain) can also start around late next month," Hyun told reporters.

Hyundai has been operating the tour of Mount Geumgang, a DPRK's scenic mountain located just north of the eastern part of the inter-Korean land border, since 1998. More than 1 million South Korean people have visited the scenic mountain so far.

Kaesong, where the two sides are building a joint industrial complex, was the capital of Korea under the Goyreo Kingdom (918- 1392). The city retains a lot of historical relics.

"In the beginning, South Korean tourists to Kaesong will be able to enjoy one-day sightseeing tours before they can use accommodation facilities in the city," an unnamed official of Hyundai Asan Corp., the affiliate of Hyundai Group who is leading the inter-Korean business projects, was quoted by Yonhap as saying.

Hyundai is considering two ways of transporting tourists to Mount Paekdu, located in northeastern DPRK. One proposed method is flying direct to the mountain from South Korea and the other is to use a land route from the DPRK's capital of Pyongyang, Hyundai Group's Vice Chairman Kim Yoon-kyu said.

Hyun also said that the DPRK top leader proposed expanding the Mount Geumgang tourism project so that tourists can go deeper into the scenic mountains.

Source: Xinhua