The Hermit Kingdom launched a website Monday to lure in foreign tourists complete with pictures of happy looking children, pools, a ski resort –and missiles.
Dprktoday.com is a Korean-language site that showcases North Korea’s attractions, such as a pyramid-themed water park, children in traditional dress, and statues of dictator Kim Jong-Un. The website gives information about hotels tours and flight schedules from cities like Beijing and Vladivostok. And there is a section on the reclusive nation’s political ideology and photos of short-range missiles.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the state media for the dictatorship said it started the site to “satisfy growing interest and expectation.”
Despite a restrictive travel ban due to the Ebola outbreak, North Korea has been trying to attract foreign tourists and their money. The nation opened the Masik Pass ski area, billed as the “most exotic ski resort on Earth” and offers surfing tours along the east coast.
Some 237,000 tourist visited North Korea in 2012, many from China. Westerners make up a tiny fraction, with some estimates at about 4-5000.
The U.S. State Department does not recommend Americans travel to North Korea. For those who can get past the ethics of traveling to the nation charged of massive human rights abuses, keep in mind that Western visitors must book their tours through an accredited company and be accompanied at all times by foreign and North Korean guides.
For the time being, here’s a sneak peek at the reclusive nation.
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