FORT LEE, N.J.--The prospect of reliable tourism programs to
insular North Korea is becoming more likely because of plans by the
Hyundai Business Group.
The hope is to develop a major tourism site north of the 38th
parallel and to organize a tourism meeting this month involving
both Korean governments, according to the Korea National Tourism
Organization here.
Hyundai
Business Group founder Chung Ju-yung recently returned from an
eight-day visit to North Korea with an announcement that the South
Korean business giant has entered into negotiations with North
Korea to establish tourist ferry routes from the South Korean port
city of Sokchu to a new development in North Korea's Mount Kumgang
region.
The success of Chung's visit to the north and the formation of
the Mount Kumgang Tourism Development Committee, which he will
chair, should pave the way for substantial dialogue between North
and South Korea during a United Nations-organized event planned for
July 22 in Yanji, China.
The meeting will feature representatives from North Korea, South
Korea, China, Mongolia and Russia.
During the meeting, South Korean delegates are expected to
propose the opening of the tourist ferry route and to discuss
investment in the Mount Kumgang area, according to the KNTO.
Chung Ju-yung's proposal of the ferry service "seems to have
opened the door for discussion about broader joint-tourism
promotion," according to a spokesman for the KNTO's Fort Lee
office.
The spokesman said the KNTO has informally discussed the
possibilities of North Korea tour programs with a few U.S.-based
operators but would not divulge the names of the companies.
Although it has not released cost estimates for the development,
Hyundai said the project with the North Korean government would
consist of hotels, department stores, a golf course and other
leisure facilities and could draw close to 1,000 travelers each
day.
The ferry service could commence Sept. 25 using two ships,
according to the KNTO, but it is contingent on the South Korean
government's securing official guarantees from North Korea for the
safe passage of international tourists.
The Korea Herald, an English-language daily published in Seoul,
reported that Hyundai will eventually purchase four luxury liners
to launch the cruise business to Mount Kumgang and that Hyundai
plans to develop North Korea's other famous mountains into tourist
resorts.
Keumkang Development Co., a subsidiary of the Hyundai Group, is
set to take applications, starting July 25, for the first cruise
trips to Mount Kumgang, according to reports from South Korea.
Officials for Hyundai told the Korea Herald that they have
fielded 1,000 inquiries a day from South Korean citizens eager to
venture to North Korea. The officials said participants for the
first cruises will be prioritized as follows: those who have lived
in the north but were displaced by the Korean War; the elderly, and
South Korean citizens living in other countries.
The cruise and tour will cost between $1,200 and $1,600,
depending on the cruise ship selected, according to KNTO.
Any time frame associated with the development of a Mount
Kumgang project or cruise itineraries is, of course, subject to
delays caused by the combative relationship between the two
countries.
The fallout from a recent incident involving a North Korean spy
submarine captured in South Korean waters has already scuttled a
July 5 trip by Hyundai officials to review the Mount Kumgang site
and meet with the North Korean government.
WASHINGTON--Although they rarely exercise their right to go,
U.S. citizens are permitted to travel to North Korea with a U.S.
passport and a North Korean visa, which can be secured in a third
country, according to the State Department.
Once there, however, Americans are on their own because the U.S.
does not maintain diplomatic, consular or trade relations with the
highly centralized communist state.
Basic consular protection of U.S. citizens traveling to North
Korea is provided by the Swedish Embassy there.
Tourism to the North is permitted only in organized groups
authorized by North Korea. Independent tourism is not
permitted.
The most common method of obtaining a North Korean visa is
through the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, according to the State
Department, but U.S. citizens should be aware that the visas are
not issued by that embassy unless it has been instructed to do so
by the North Korean Foreign Office in Pyongyang, North Korea.
For further information about traveling to North Korea, the
State Department recommends contacting the North Korean Mission to
the United Nations in New York at (212) 972-3106; fax (212)
972-3154.
In addition, inquiries can be sent via mail to the permanent
representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the
United Nations, 515 E. 72nd St., 38-F, New York, N.Y. 10021.
--T.D.