South Korea's Hyundai Asan Corp will start land tours on Feb. 21 to North Korea, the first time tourists will cross one of the world's most hostile borders.
The one-hour bus trip will give tourists a glimpse into the demilitarized zone, a 4km wide stretch of land that's become a nature preserve, where few people have ventured in the five decades since the end of the Korean War.
PHOTO: AP
Hyundai is hoping the appeal of the new route and cheaper fee -- about half of what the company now charges for a high-speed ferry ride to the same location -- will help revive a five-year-old North Korean venture that's never made a profit.
"We're trying to add more items to our packages to offer customers value for money," Asan spokeswoman Hong Hyun-joo said.
A 40km bus ride for a three-day visit to North Korea's Mount Geumgang, or Diamond Mountain, on the east coast will cost 350,000 won (US$293) and a two-day visit 230,000 won, it said in a statement. The 113km ferry ride for a three-day tour costs 540,000 won.
Recapturing the interests of tourists is crucial for Hyundai, which agreed to pay North Korea US$942 million by 2005 for the right to develop the region for tourism and industrial use. Asan had only paid two-fifths of the total at the end of last year.
Hyundai began the tourism venture in November 1998 with ferry and cruise ship rides. It scrapped the cruise ship portion after about three years as the number of tourists dwindled. The South Korean government had to intervene in 2001 to bail out the business.
Hyundai will hold a test-run of the land-route tour on Feb.
14 involving key members from the company, government and South Korean media. On Feb. 5, Hyundai Group Chairman Chung Mong-hun and about 100 other company and government officials went on an inspection tour of the road through the demilitarized zone.
North Korea has become an embarrassment for South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel peace prize in 2000 for his policy of rapprochement with the North, and for the Hyundai companies, which led South Korean business investments in the communist country.
Kim is accused by South Korea's opposition Grand National Party of helping Hyundai Merchant Marine Co and other affiliates send funds to North Korea, which led to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's agreement to the landmark summit that was held in Pyongyang in June 2000.
Hyundai Merchant Marine, Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co and Hynix Semiconductor Inc, then called Hyundai Electronics Industries Ltd, sent a combined US$500 million to North Korea, Internet news provider OhmyNews said, citing unidentified government officials.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
RSS