The Chinese government has issued an order to halt a tourist train service from the Chinese border city of Dandong to Pyongyang starting Sunday, tour agencies here said Friday. The move followed an earlier decision by the country's major airliner to suspend a regular flight service to the North Korean capital.
"The government instructed the cancelation of the tourist train service to Chosun (North Korea) scheduled after Oct. 22," a tourism agency staff in Dandong said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency.
"We had reservations for organized tours for as far as Oct. 29, but the trains were suspended and we had to cancel all the bookings," the official said, requesting anonymity.
An employee at another tourist agency confirmed the cancellation.
The train service linking Dandong and Pyongyang has been used for tourists travelling to North Korea.
The train service linking Beijing and Pyongyang, however, will not be affected, according to tour agencies and ticket service officers in Dandong Station.
Following North Korea's nuclear bomb test on Oct. 9, China has brought a series of punitive measures to its dealings on North Korea. It reportedly closed three customs offices in northeastern China that handle trade with North Korea.
Also, China Southern Airlines (CSN), the country's largest carrier, decided to suspend its regular flight service to Pyongyang starting Oct. 27. Japan's NHK reported Wednesday of the decision by CSN, the only foreign airline company offering a regular flight service to Pyongyang.
Shenyang, Oct. 20 (Yonhap News)
China to suspend North Korea-bound train tour |
