Border tourism booms since meeting of two Korean leaders

Border tourism booms since meeting of two Korean leaders

Seoul, May 20 (IANS) Tourism to security-related sights near the border between North and South Korea has boomed since the leaders of the two countries met last month, media reports said on Sunday.

The number of visitors to tourist sights near the border has gone up 30 per cent, from 1,200-2,300 per day in the same period last year to 1,500-3,000 per day, Yonhap News agency reported.

The sights include a tunnel constructed by North Korea for invading the South and the Dora Observatory from which the North Korean village of Kaesong is visible.

The local government also ascribed the rise in the number of tourists to the lifting of restrictions on package tours imposed by Chinese cities following a diplomatic spat last year.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a historic meeting in the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone on April 27. At the summit, the pair agreed to agreed to pursue "complete denuclearization" of the peninsula.

--IANS

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