Pyongyang promotes Kumgangsan tour program for foreigners

North Korea will resume its Kumgangsan tour program in late July, the country’s propaganda media outlet said Monday, in an apparent attempt to overcome the economic burden of the international sanctions.

According to DPRK Today, the four-day tour program, which will run through the end of November, includes activities such as hiking, fishing and spa treatments. The treks will enable travelers to see natural wonders such as Manmulsang, a unique formation of cliffs and strangely shaped rocks; Kuyrong Falls; and the freshwater lake Samilpo; as well as the famous floating Hotel Haekumgang, it added. 

The propaganda news outlet said tourists will have the option of fishing in Samilpo. Spa treatments said to be beneficial for people with numerous conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and rheumatoid arthritis will also be available.

Inter-Korean tours of Kumgangsan kicked off in 1998, but were suspended in 2008 when a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier. Since then, the North has operated tours of the mountain area unilaterally.

Pyongyang designated the mountain area as a special tourist zone in May 2011 and has been offering tours there for foreign visitors.

The leaders of the two Koreas vowed to resume the inter-Korean tour program at Kumgangsan in a joint statement in September, but no progress has been made.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)