From Joong Ang:
Hyundai Asan Corp., a Korean company spearheading inter-Korean economic projects, said yesterday it is pushing to expand its tour program for a scenic North Korean mountain resort open to South Koreans.
North Korea has opened the outer part of Mount Keumgang on its east coast to South Koreans since 1998. Hyundai officials said the North has agreed to consider opening the inner side as well to South Koreans.
Before developing full-fledged tours to the inner side of the mountain, or Naegumgang, Hyundai Asan plans to hold an experimental tour to the area on May 27.
Hyundai Asan hopes that the new tours will help it bring more South Korean tourists to the North. More than 1 million South Koreans have visited the resort since 1998 but it was not enough to break even.
Hyundai Asan executives, including Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, and North Korean officials will join the test tour.
The new tours to be developed cover 50 kilometers of trails dotted with ancient temples and valleys that would give visitors a new sense of the beauty of the craggy resort, Hyundai Asan officials said.
