Korea Times
1/4/2007
The number of inter-Korean cross-border visits climbed 15.1 percent last year from a year earlier despite escalating tensions over North Korea’s test-fire of missiles and the underground detonation of nuclear devices, the Ministry of Unification said Thursday.
A total of 101,708 South and North Koreans visited each other’s country, compared with 88,341 in 2005, according to the ministry.
It said the number did not include South Korean tourists to scenic Mt. Kumgang in the North. Last year, 234,446 South Koreans traveled to the mountain resort, down 21.4 percent from 2005.
The ministry said that 100,838 South Koreans visited the North, while 870 North Koreans visited the South.
It added that the increasing inter-Korean economic exchanges drew 87,845 South Korean visits to the North.
The inter-Korean trade volume jumped 27.8 percent year-on-year to $1.3 billion last year, according to the ministry.
