130 S. Koreans to Begin Pyongyang Tour Monday
2003-09-15
About 130 South Koreans will start a five-day sightseeing tour of Pyongyang and nearby areas on Monday (Sept 15), marking the beginning of commercial tours by South Koreans to the North Korean capital.
Pyonghwa Air Travel Agency, the South Korean operator of the tours, said its customers will board a chartered flight run by the North's flag carrier, Air Koryo, Monday morning.
''For four nights and five days, they will visit places including Pyongyang and Mt. Myohyang, and come back on an Asiana Airlines flight on Sept. 19,'' a company official said.
The government last month gave its approval to the company to run the tours to Pyongyang. Pyonghwa expects some 2,000 South Koreans will take the tours this year.
Until now, the only means for South Koreans to visit North Korea was to take Hyundai's Mt. Kumgang tour, which boasts beautiful scenery but offers little insight of the everyday lives of North Koreans due to its remoteness.
Officials at Pyonghwa, which means ''peace'' in Korean, said they hope the tours will broaden South Koreans' understanding of the North and contribute to inter-Korean reconciliation.
''Our tour also offers glimpses into the countryside,'' Pyonghwa director Kim Byung-gyu said.
The tour comes at a hefty price tag, with a five-day tour costing 2.2 million won ($1,870) and a six-day trip costing 2.9 million won.
Meanwhile, the Unification Ministry yesterday said it will propose a resumption of subsidies to Hyundai's Mt. Kumgang tours at the National Assembly this week.
Officials at the ministry said they will make the proposal because the situation surrounding the North's nuclear programs has improved recently.
''We will also ask the Assembly to approve a budget for railway and road reconnections and fertilizer aid to North Korea,'' an official said.
Subsidies to Mt. Kumgang tours were cut off after the nuclear crisis emerged last year. The Assembly said it will reconsider the decision if the situation gets better.
Hyundai Asan recently resumed the more popular overland trips to Mt. Kumgang, which are fully booked until mid-November. Officials said the company is still deep in debt.
Source : www.korea.net
