Selling North Korea
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2023-02-18 21:55
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Recently there were two rare and interesting stories covering tourism in North Korea carried in both a vernacular newspaper and an international weekly news magazine.
To my surprise, a major Seoul newspaper talked about a discotheque in Pyongyang bustling with many western tourists. And what the newspaper insists is the very first South Korean reporter who was admitted to enter North Korea was even surprised himself to find out that an overseas call to the United States could be made without any restrictions.
The story in the leading international weekly news magazine revealed very rare statistics - the first of its kind to my knowledge - showing that about 30,000 foreign tourists visited North Korea this year. of course, they were travellers mostly from eastern bloc countries but some western tourists from such countries as Canada and Australia were also included.
North Korea has long been the Hermit Kingdom isolated from the free world.
It was true until recently that North Korea was one of those tourist destinations which just a few chosen people could travel to.
For millions South Koreans who were separated from their families in the North during the Korean War, travelling to North Korea has been a life-long wish.
This longing for travelling to North Korea was accelerated due to the recently announced liberalization of overseas travel for all Koreans. Fortunately, the cold war environment that has gripped the Korean peninsula over the last 30 years is changing into a spring time for peace and reconciliation largely owing to the successful Seoul Olympics.
The United States government announced that travel restrictions between the U.S. and North Korea will be lifted and the trade ban will be eased to allow the sale of humanitarian goods like food and clothing to North Korea.
Last April, as a member of a Korean delegation, I attended the 37th annual meeting of the Pacific Asia Travel Association(PATA) held in Melborne, Australia.
At that meeting, an Australian tour operator who had traveled to both South and North Korea, suggested to us a package tour selling South and North Korea together. He earnestly insisted that as Korea tour program connecting Mainland China and the Korean Peninsula via Panmunjom Truce Village would be very popular among Australian tourists.
We heartily welcomed the idea with hope that would even contribute to the thawing of the cold war in Korea and facilitate the reunification of out fatherland.
The only obstacle we foresaw in realizing this program was Pyongyang's stand on this project. The reason being North Korea has resisted in opening its doors to the world even though changing environment over the Korean peninsula. But it seems true that the North Korean government is making changes in their policy nowadays, and is opening up the country to the world.
There are various options when considering traveling to foreign land. According to tour operators, most travellers do not choose just one destination when they travel overseas. Of course it is very natural that personal preference is considered as well as cost constraints and time restrictions when planning an overseas trip. Reflecting on this, there are always discrepancies in tourism statistics between tourist generating countries and receiving countries.
Results of a survey taken by major U.S. tour operators showed most tourists prefer a packaged-tour itinerary to just a single destination.
The most popular tour itinerary would be a tour package program which connects Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, and North and South Korea via Panmunjom.
I have been selling my country successfully to the world,. However I, as a professional salesman, want to sell a better quality product which would be a reunified Korea. My success as a salesman will contribute to the realization of both my personal goal and the national goal as well.
Free tourist exchange between South and North Korea via Panmunjom will eventually led to reunification of our fatherland which is our people's most thirsty goal.
Most of all, I myself want to travel freely to the Northern part of my country so I can at least see Diamond Mountain, Chonji Pond on the top of Packdusan Mountain and Pyongyang City.
<Thoughts of The Times. Dec. 22, 1988>
To my surprise, a major Seoul newspaper talked about a discotheque in Pyongyang bustling with many western tourists. And what the newspaper insists is the very first South Korean reporter who was admitted to enter North Korea was even surprised himself to find out that an overseas call to the United States could be made without any restrictions.
The story in the leading international weekly news magazine revealed very rare statistics - the first of its kind to my knowledge - showing that about 30,000 foreign tourists visited North Korea this year. of course, they were travellers mostly from eastern bloc countries but some western tourists from such countries as Canada and Australia were also included.
North Korea has long been the Hermit Kingdom isolated from the free world.
It was true until recently that North Korea was one of those tourist destinations which just a few chosen people could travel to.
For millions South Koreans who were separated from their families in the North during the Korean War, travelling to North Korea has been a life-long wish.
This longing for travelling to North Korea was accelerated due to the recently announced liberalization of overseas travel for all Koreans. Fortunately, the cold war environment that has gripped the Korean peninsula over the last 30 years is changing into a spring time for peace and reconciliation largely owing to the successful Seoul Olympics.
The United States government announced that travel restrictions between the U.S. and North Korea will be lifted and the trade ban will be eased to allow the sale of humanitarian goods like food and clothing to North Korea.
Last April, as a member of a Korean delegation, I attended the 37th annual meeting of the Pacific Asia Travel Association(PATA) held in Melborne, Australia.
At that meeting, an Australian tour operator who had traveled to both South and North Korea, suggested to us a package tour selling South and North Korea together. He earnestly insisted that as Korea tour program connecting Mainland China and the Korean Peninsula via Panmunjom Truce Village would be very popular among Australian tourists.
We heartily welcomed the idea with hope that would even contribute to the thawing of the cold war in Korea and facilitate the reunification of out fatherland.
The only obstacle we foresaw in realizing this program was Pyongyang's stand on this project. The reason being North Korea has resisted in opening its doors to the world even though changing environment over the Korean peninsula. But it seems true that the North Korean government is making changes in their policy nowadays, and is opening up the country to the world.
There are various options when considering traveling to foreign land. According to tour operators, most travellers do not choose just one destination when they travel overseas. Of course it is very natural that personal preference is considered as well as cost constraints and time restrictions when planning an overseas trip. Reflecting on this, there are always discrepancies in tourism statistics between tourist generating countries and receiving countries.
Results of a survey taken by major U.S. tour operators showed most tourists prefer a packaged-tour itinerary to just a single destination.
The most popular tour itinerary would be a tour package program which connects Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, and North and South Korea via Panmunjom.
I have been selling my country successfully to the world,. However I, as a professional salesman, want to sell a better quality product which would be a reunified Korea. My success as a salesman will contribute to the realization of both my personal goal and the national goal as well.
Free tourist exchange between South and North Korea via Panmunjom will eventually led to reunification of our fatherland which is our people's most thirsty goal.
Most of all, I myself want to travel freely to the Northern part of my country so I can at least see Diamond Mountain, Chonji Pond on the top of Packdusan Mountain and Pyongyang City.
<Thoughts of The Times. Dec. 22, 1988>