Visitors to Chinese part of Mt. Paektu soar 20% in H1

The number of tourists visiting the Chinese side of Mt. Paektu jumped nearly 20 percent in the first half of this year from a year earlier, a U.S. radio report said Friday.

A total of 328,000 tourists traveled to the mountain in China in the January-June period, up 19.3 percent from a year earlier, the Washington-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, citing the official website of China's Jilin province.

The 2,744-meter-high mountain sits on China's northeastern border with North Korea.

During China's four-day-long labor day holiday in May, a total of 17,990 people, about three times the number recorded a year earlier, went to the mountain, the report said.

The surge in visitors led to a growth in the region's tourism income, which stood at 93.14 million Chinese yuan ($15 million) in the first half of this year, up 23.2 percent on-year.

China's Mt. Paektu management committee is preparing tighter safety measures upon the assumption more visitors will travel to the mountain in the current tourism season that runs to August.

RFA added that the tourist growth, coupled with a rising interest in bottled water production from the mountain, has fueled environmental concerns. (Yonhap)