U.K. agency sells tour programs to N. Korea for next year

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- A travel agency specializing in trips to North Korea has launched a new tour program for next year that includes a chance to fly on Soviet-era passenger jets, according to its website Tuesday.

According to the itinerary posted by the U.K.-based Juche Travel Service, tourists will stay one night in Beijing before flying to North Korea for sightseeing in Pyongyang, Mount Myohyang, Kaesong and the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

The tour is expected to run from October 18-22, and tourists can extend their program to October 25.

"After the disappointment of postponing this tour due to the impact of COVID-19, it is our great pleasure to be back in the DPRK for 2021," the agency said on its website, using the acronym for the North's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The program also allows tourists the chance to fly on rare jets, including Air Koryo's last surviving Ilyushin IL-62 jet and the last passenger jet Ilyushin IL-18.

The trip costs around 1,395 euros (US$1,560) to 1,695 euros ($1,900).

Pyongyang has sought to develop the North's tourism in an effort to beef up its cash-strapped economy faltering under international sanctions, but the coronavirus has dealt a blow to the industry.

Tour programs to the North by the British tour agency Lupine Travel and the Beijing-based Koryo Tours were canceled earlier this year as Pyongyang shut down its border with China in late January amid coronavirus concerns.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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