By Michael Rank
The Chinese government is planning to increase tourism to North Korea as part of plans to boost tourism in China’s rustbelt northeast, according to a newly published official report (MS Word download here).
The report focuses mainly on domestic tourism, but also mentions plans for increased numbers of Chinese tourists to cross into North Korea. Tours include from Changbai county in Jilin province to the North Korean city of Hyesan, just over the border, and from Yanji and Hunchun to Bangcheon, which is also just over the border. Other tours are to include the east coast North Korean port of Rajin and Vladivostok in Russia well as South Korea and Japan. North Korea-related aspects of the 32-page report are summarised here (both reports are in Chinese).
Incidentally in researching this article I discovered that various cross-border tours are advertised on the internet, e.g. a one-day tour from Tumen that includes Namyang-gun, the home village of Kim Il-sung’s first wife, Kim Jeong-suk, mother of Kim Jong-il, and also the spot where China, North Korea and Russia meet. Cost: 140 yuan ($20), but we can assume they are for Chinese citizens only.
The government report says it is planned to increase the number of tourist trips from and around northeast China from 350 million to 800 million a year between now and 2015.
Andrei Lankov adds in the comments: In the borderland areas they sell a number of tours tgo NK (Chinese citizens only), with costs between 180 RMB (one day tour from either Yanji or Dandong) to 2500 RMB (four days to Pyongyang). Koryo Tours people told me that until 2009 in order to apply one had to be not merely a Chinese citizen, but a registered resident of the three north-eastern provinces. According to Koryo tours people, this restriction has been lifted, but few people from outside Dongbei are interested.
In the borderland areas they sell a number of tours tgo NK (Chinese citizens only), with costs between 180 RMB (one day tour from either Yanji or Dandong) to 2500 RMB (four days to Pyongyang). Koryo Tours people told me that until 2009 in order to apply one had to be not merely a Chinese citizen, but a registered resident of the three north-eastern provinces. According to Koryo tours people, this restriction has been lifted, but few people from outside Dongbei are interested.
A Chinese reader passes on the following note:
I check the website you mentioned, I think you make some translate errors. It just said that you can see Kim joeng suk’s hometown from china side. The tour don’t include the travel to north Korea.