North Korea has allowed foreign tourists to visit a film studio and a clothing factory for the first time, a travel firm which specializes in tours to the North said Tuesday, in a sign that Pyongyang is opening up more tourist destinations to develop tourism.
Beijing-based Koryo Tours said it was given the first-ever access to the two sites ― the April 25 Film Studio in Pyongyang and the Taedonggang Clothing Factory, located 30 kilometers north of the showcase capital ― during its group tour late last month.
The film studio is named after the date when North Korea’s military was founded.
In an article posted on its website, Koryo Tours described the film studio as “impressive, with a huge mosaic above the entrance,” but there was apparently no popcorn machine.
“We also brought the studio its first popcorn machine all the way from Beijing, so next time we visit there will be snacks all round!” it said.
At the garment factory, foreign tourists “were shown a demonstration of an automated embroidery machine programmed to stitch individual logos onto clothing,” it said.
North Korea is one of the world’s most secretive and isolated nations, but Pyongyang has stepped up efforts to attract foreign tourists since last year by offering more tour routes.
Hit by decades of economic mismanagement and the imposition of international sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, North Korea is desperately poor.
The North appears to be promoting its tourism sector to earn much-needed hard currency to prop up its regime. (Yonhap)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
