Chinese city offers half-day tours of North Korea

SEOUL, July 5 (UPI) -- Dandong wants to offer more than river views of North Korea.

Starting on July 9, the Chinese border city is offering half-day tours of the country, Voice of America reported.

The announcement comes at a time when China has reduced trade with Pyongyang to be in compliance with United Nations Security Council sanctions Resolution 2270.

Beijing has repeatedly condemned the North for its pursuit of nuclear weapons development but has also remained open to dialogue and encouraging the country to move toward economic development.

Dandong China International Travel Service is offering the tours and the product offers options without complicated procedures.

Passports and visas aren't required, and any other form of identification is acceptable, according to the report.

"Through half-day tours of North Korea Dandong will become a new center of tourism, and enable regional tourism," the city said in its statement.

Tourism is a source of significant revenue for North Korea, currently under heavy sanctions.

But the country's transportation infrastructure may need upgrading.

Airways Magazine, a U.S. publication, recently ran an article on Air Koryo, North Korea's sole commercial airliner, Voice of America reported.

According to Enrique Perrella, the magazine's editor-in-chief, Air Koryo held an event in Pyongyang and Wonsan, where visitors were allowed to board aircraft in its fleet.

But the planes were older Soviet models that could use some improvements.

Perrella said the old engines made a great deal of noise – particularly the cargo plane IL-76.