Korea Times
Kim Yon-se
10/3/2006
A tour to Mt. Paektu via North Korean territory for South Koreans has become virtually impossible this year even though Hyundai Asan, the inter-Korean tourism operator, has pushed the project for more than a year.
Should Hyundai Asan reach a final agreement with the North to open tours soon, bad weather conditions on the mountain will make it impossible for tourists to travel to Mt. Paektu, located on the border of the North and China.
“Because of early snowfall and chilly weather there, ordinary tourists are not allowed to climb Mt. Paektu after September,’’ a spokeswoman of the Hyundai Group said yesterday.
Ordinary tours will be possible only between June and September, she said. “So the launch of tours will not be feasible until next May at least.’’
Since Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun agreed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to develop the mountain as a tourist venue in July 2005, Hyundai Asan had to delay running pilot tours twice.
Apart from political setbacks, involving the United States’ unfavorable views toward inter-Korean businesses, the spokeswoman attributed the continuous delay to unfinished construction of a link between the mountain entrance and Mt. Paektu Airport.
Besides technical problems, Hyundai Asan, the tourism unit of Hyundai Group, have been troubled by the ongoing allegations that the North is still seeking a new South Korean partner for tours to Kaesong City and Mt. Paektu.
Furthermore, some media reports said last month that North Korea allegedly asked Lotte Tours to take on the business of Kaesong Industrial Complex operated by Hyundai Asan.
But the spokeswoman, a close aide to Hyun, said the possibility of Lotte’s obtaining of inter-Korean business rights is low. “We hold the exclusive rights legally. And we haven’t received any proposals from Lotte,’’ she said.
After Lotte Tours made it clear that it had stopped talks with North Korea on replacing Hyundai Asan to pursue inter-Korean tourism projects, last year, the company is declining to comment on the issue this year.
Chairwoman Hyun has not taken a trip to the mountain via North Korean entrance _ only a few Hyundai Asan officials have surveyed the tour route.
A Hyundai Asan official predicted beyond planned ordinary tours, South Koreans will also enjoy skiing there between April and May in a few years.
