Tourism Development in North Korea: Economical and Geopolitical Perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Throughout the years, the growth of tourism in North Korea has lagged behind the growth of world tourism. This lag may be attributed to the political and military tensions in the region since tourism is very sensitive to the political situation and security threats. However, changes in geopolitical conditions in recent years, including the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war, and the South Korean and North Korean peace treaty, all seem to point toward a new era in the world. In the light of these factors, the two Koreas face significant political and economic challenges, of which tourism is among those sectors whose growth and prosperity could benefit more from peace. This paper focuses on tourism and its development and aims to discuss tourism development through the case study of North Korea, a small country situated in the Northeast Asia. This paper intends to examine what problems and opportunities the reunification of South and North Korea will bring about from a tourism perspective, and to find directions for appropriate tourism development for North Korea. The potential tourism development for North Korea should be beneficial to South Korea as well.