A recent report by the Chosun Central news
Agency (KCNA) has revealed that the North Korean authorities, in addition to
consistent efforts to encourage visitors from abroad to procure foreign
currency, are targeting residents within the country as clients for the
nation’s tourism industry, particularly in Kaesong.
KCNA released a statement entitled ‘Invigorating Tourism in Kaesong
District’ on the 6th, in which it claimed that as of April “tourism in the historical and cultural city of Kaesong has
been revitalized.”
It added, “We created new bus lines and
improved (the overall) transportation system in order to make things more
convenient for our domestic tourists.” This alleged overhaul apparently includes a “flagship package” for a
one-day tour with additional packages available upon demand.
The report cited an official with the
North’s General Bureau of Tourism, who noted that the number of domestic
tourists to Kaesong has vastly increased recently. The most visited attractions
in the area are the location where the armistice between two Koreas was signed
in 1953, the Koryo Museum, and historical remains within the city. A joint venture between North Korea and Hyundai Asan beginning in 1998, Geumgang Mountain tourism ground to a halt in 2008 when a South Korean tourist was shot and
killed by North Korean guards.
The report also follows a joint ceremony to mark
the 16th anniversary of the (now suspended) Geumgang Mountain tours held in
November, during which both Koreas discussed the possible reopening of the tours, lending further weight to the assumption that the latest promotions are not targeting a domestic audience.
While increased tourism for residents of a
nation with systematic repression of freedom of mobility may seem like a
positive development, the reality is much different. The “tours”
cited by state media are part of campaigns and individual travel papers are
still difficult to come by–unless one can pay the bribes required to procure
them.
A North Korean defector who formerly held a
high-ranking position in the North offered his insight on the recent report. “Most North Koreans at the tourist attractions are there as part of
ideological trips–they’re not generally there of their own volition for personal
enjoyment, he said.
A more accurate depiction of this scenario would be to say that
the residents are largely attending compulsory field trips to Kaesong as mandated by the
government. “Affluent people would want to go to
Kaesong freely, but they would have to be issued travel passes from the
relevant officials, which would probably require payment of kickbacks. As a
result, most people cannot even imagine going on personal trips to Kaesong,” he asserted.
Considering this, he went on, it would be extremely
difficult to vitalize the Kaesong tourism industry by attempting to attract North Korean
citizens. Not only that, the state is fully cognizant of its citizens’ indifference on the matter. The decision to up the ante on tourism is aimed at attracting investors from South Korea and the broader international community.
