S. Korean travellers to N. Korean resort fall 43 pct amid missile tests

The number of South Korean travellers to the North Korean resort of Mount Geumgang fell by more than 40 percent amid Pyongyang's test-firing of ballistic missiles last month, the tour operator Hyundai Asan said Saturday.

The number of travellers amounted to 19,605 in July, down 43 percent from the same period last year, according to Hyundai Asan.

The North has allowed South Korean tour groups to visit the outer part of Mount Geumgang on its east coast since 1998. Hyundai Asan has led the tourism project under which more than 1.2 million South Koreans have visited the mountain.

The fall was much steeper than the near 20 percent drop posted in the January-June period compared to last year.

Industry watchers believe the decrease was spurred by the latest regional tension caused by Pyongyang's test-firing of ballistic missiles into the East Sea on July 5, along with the peninsula having been hit hard by a series of torrential floods from seasonal monsoon rains.

Seoul, Aug. 5 (Yonhap News)