North Korean Economy Watch

From the Korea Times:
10/22/2006
Kim Sue-young

Fines on Mt. Kumgang Tourists Rise

An increasing number of tourists have been fined this year at Mt. Kumgang in North Korea, the Ministry of Unification reported yesterday.

Some 1,177 fines were levied by North Korea from January to July, the highest figure to date with $16,800, being paid to the North’s officials according to the report.

Annually, 372 fines were doled out in 1999 totaling $14,100; 240 in 2000 adding up to $3,400; 138 in 2001 at $1,900; 427 in 2002 at $3,500; 302 in 2003 at $4,600; 540 in 2004 at $8,300; and 979 in 2005 at $18,000.

The Stalinist state generally fines people up to $15 for “violations’’ such as damaging their tourists’ permit card, making errors on entry forms and littering.

Many attribute the sudden increase to the authorities’ over-zealousness.

Many cases have been reported where North Korean officials have questioned the validity of the photo on tourists’ permit cards, as rules stipulate that they must be taken within a six month period prior to the card being issued. Under the current regulations, an alleged “offender’’ of the rule is fined $10.

Women were more likely to be accused of this than men because they often change their hair styles, according to the report.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 22nd, 2006 at 10:38 pm and is filed under Fiscal & monetary policy, Mt. Kumgang Tourist Special Zone, Tourism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.