Some experts say North Korea may be putting pressure on South Korea to benefit from an economic engagement as the pandemic is aggravating North Korean economic woes. About 2 million South Korean tourists had visited the resort, a rare source of foreign currency for the impoverished North. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the South Korean facilities “shabby'' and “unpleasant-looking.'' Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said the timing of Sunday's North Korean statement is less about tourism and more about political pressure. Before the pandemic, North Korea hosted Chinees tourists at the resort.

Source: The Standard December 21, 2020 05:26 UTC