[AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man]
A Associated Press publica um artigo com aquela que é, provavelmente, uma das últimas viagens dos turistas sul-coreanos à Coreia do Norte. Pelo menos nos próximos tempos, já que Pyongyang diz que a partir de 1 de Dezembro fecha a fronteira com o Sul.
Aqui fica uma parte do retrato turístico em Kaesong (que eu também tive a oportunidade de visitar em 2006):
“Kaesong seems like it is a nice place to live, but the living situation seems like it’s more difficult than when I was young,” said Oh Tae-jin, 49, a South Korean on the tour with his family.
Snacks sold at tourist sites included a bag of crackers for $3 — U.S. dollars are the currency of choice in Kaesong — a North Korean cola for $2 and a box of tea for $10, roughly 10 times the average monthly wage in North Korea.
Lunch is included in the tour’s 198,000-won cost — about $130 — with roughly half going to North Korea, according to Hyundai Asan. The 13-course feast in a traditional house in Kaesong’s elegantly restored old town includes fish, beef, lamb and ginseng-infused whiskey for an extra $20 a bottle.
Back in downtown Kaesong, a lone warden stood in an intersection directing traffic: bicycles, modern buses and the rare car. A patriotic sign declared: “As long as the Dear Leader is alive, we will win!”
Coreia do Norte 