Something tells me there isn’t a Lonely Planet guide for this place. You probably didn’t know that North Korea has a beautiful holiday resort at its Mount Kumang tourist Park. And it’s still open for business, even after the number of visitors dropped dramatically in 2008 when a North Korean solider shot a South Korean woman. Apparently, the unfortunate visitor had wandered off into a military zone.
Obviously, the mere idea of going on vacation in North Korea seems frighteningly comical. But the beautiful mountainous park on the coast of North Korea was once hailed a “experiment in reconciliation.” After the shooting of the South Korean woman, the place has become a symbol of tension between the two countries.
Now, the struggling Mount Kumang resort is looking for foreign investors. In fact, just last week, a North Korean tourism official gave a marketing presentation to a group of Chinese business people. I guess some Chinese people are open to investing in pretty much anything…yikes.
So if you’re looking for a thrilling vacation or a very risky investment, here are a few tour operators for Mount Kumang:
- Hyundai Asan: the company behind the tours. Has some information in English. Phone: +82-2-3669-3000
- Mt. Kumgang: organizes tours from South Korea to Kumgangsan. Phone: +82-2-739-1090
- GOnSEE: the official agent for foreign visitors to Kumgangsan tour.
