This is a nice profit for the cash strapped regime considering that they make $86 million a year from the Kaesong Industrial Complex as well. Tourism is only growing in North Korea despite the human rights situation so the Kim regime can probably count on larger profits in the future:
Foreign runners join a ceremony to mark the annual Pyongyang Marathon in this photo taken in August 2014. North Korea plans to invite up to 1,500 marathoners from abroad in April next year. / Courtesy of Koryo Tours
Tourism is emerging as a new cash cow for North Korea amid growing U.N. pressure on its economy amid its state-perpetrated human rights violations, according to analysts last week.
They speculated that the cash-strapped Kim Jong-un regime could step up efforts to boost tourism in the long term.
The experts said travelling to North Korea is not currently seen as a violation of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that restrict trading activities between the internationally-isolated regime and the rest of the world because of Pyongyang’s development of weapons of mass destruction.
They also said touring the authoritarian state is not considered defiance against growing U.N. calls to improve Pyongyang’s dire human rights records, including the severe working conditions of North Korean laborers overseas.
“I guess North Korea could capitalize on tourism as a growth engine to escape poverty,” said Yoon In-joo, a researcher at the Korea Maritime Institute.
Citing her 31-page research paper released this year, Yoon said North Korea’s income from foreign tourists was estimated to be in the range of $30.6 million to $43.6 million last year.
“I guess North Korea could capitalize on tourism as a growth engine to escape poverty,” said Yoon In-joo, a researcher at the Korea Maritime Institute.
Yeah, or the North Korean military could overthrow Kim and hand him over to the World Court to stand trial for crimes against humanity. Sign a formal peace treaty with the ROK and officially bring an end to the Korean War. Establish a legitimate constitution. Hold real elections to seat a democratically elected civilian government. Free political prisoners. Engage in constructive international diplomacy. Leverage their vast wealth of rare earth minerals to jump-start their economy. Stop threatening to turn other nations into “Seas of Fire.” That would go a long way towards bringing an end to poverty in North Korea, and it would give the rest of us one less powder keg to have to worry about.
“I guess North Korea could capitalize on tourism as a growth engine to escape poverty,” said Yoon In-joo, a researcher at the Korea Maritime Institute.
Yeah, or the North Korean military could overthrow Kim and hand him over to the World Court to stand trial for crimes against humanity. Sign a formal peace treaty with the ROK and officially bring an end to the Korean War. Establish a legitimate constitution. Hold real elections to seat a democratically elected civilian government. Free political prisoners. Engage in constructive international diplomacy. Leverage their vast wealth of rare earth minerals to jump-start their economy. Stop threatening to turn other nations into “Seas of Fire.” That would go a long way towards bringing an end to poverty in North Korea, and it would give the rest of us one less powder keg to have to worry about.