Number of foreign tourists to N. Korea jumps 20 pct in H1
2014/07/15 15:18
SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- The number of foreign tourist arrivals in North Korea soared 20 percent in the first half of 2014 from a year earlier, a pro-North Korean newspaper based in Japan reported Tuesday.
"The number of foreigners visiting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is continuing to increase," said the Chosun Shinbo. It quoted Ham Jin, head of the (North) Korea International Travel Agency, as saying the figure jumped 20 percent on-year during the January-June period.
But the newspaper did not reveal how many foreign tourists visited the reclusive country during the six-month period.
The newspaper said the country's new ski resort in Masikryong has grown popular among foreigners, along with mountaineering courses and military-related tourist spots.
The lavish resort, opened in January this year, is one of the pet projects of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who reportedly enjoyed skiing while attending school in Switzerland in the early 1990s.
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