Kumgang Revenues Continue to Decline
Whether it’s because of the diminishing appeal of tyranny tourism or North Korea’s sheer belligerence, South Koreans have never been less enthusiastic about the Kumgang tourist resort:
Tour organizer Hyundai Asan on Sunday said fewer than 300 tourists now visit Mt. Kumgang over the weekend. During the same period last year, weekend visitors to Mt. Kumgang numbered 400-500. The number of ordinary tourists has dwindled to fewer than 2,000 bookings for December tours, but activist groups have booked the tours in an effort to support the inter-Korean business project, boosting numbers to 4,000, Hyundai Asan said.
Would Kumgang survive without South Korean subsidies? Would South Korea be able to afford them without if American taxpayers did not subsidize its defense against a common enemy? Does anyone have any idea where that money goes?
Actually, we do.
They’re heading to Thailand or the Phillipines for tranny tourism instead. Kumgang is so last year.
And they’ve cut the prices of the tours by up to 35% as well.
*laugh*
But, seriously, did anyone catch the NYT (I think it was) article in which members of the North Korean staff of Mt. Kumgang insisted that IT DIDN’T MATTER if the South Koreans stopped coming because the North “didn’t need” South Korean money or tourists?
Where else in the world do you find that level of ignorance of customer needs or arrogance?
That alone makes the trip worth it.. 😉