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It's been two months since the UN imposed stricter economic sanctions on North Korea.
China traditionally has been reluctant about pressuring the North. But it seems China may
have now fallen in line with the international community. Hwang Hojun has the details.
Is long-time ally China now turning its back on its hermit neighbor?
Less than two months since the UN imposed strong economic sanctions on North Korea,
Chinese tourism to the North has fallen significantly. North Korea's fourth nuclear test in January
and continued belligerent acts have come at the cost of the regime's cash flow, especially
after China pledged to carry out the UN sanctions.
"As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, China fully and comprehensively implements
relevant Security Council resolutions."
And now, Chinese travel agencies that once provided North Korean tour packages are seeing
the impact.
"Recent years there is not a lot of Chinese tourists go to North Korea."
According to major travel agencies in China, 45 out of 52 agencies allegedly scrapped their
North Korean tour packages.
Experts in Korea say Beijing's stricter policy towards Pyongyang has affected the Chinese
people's perception of North Korea.
ed: rosyn "Still being a communist society, China's
foreign policies are filtered through party officers and the elites of society. This in
turn influences public perception, whether direct or indirect."
However, it may be too soon to assume China has completely turned away from its frenemy.
When calling some of the travel agencies pretending to be a prospective tourist,
"You can go into North Korea. It's not a problem."
Canceled tour packages were suddenly an option again.
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News