Direct flights between Taipei, Pyongyang planned

Direct airline service between Taipei and Pyongyang is likely to be launched as early as the middle of April.

A diplomatic source in Beijing said Sunday the Korean International Air Travel Corporation of North Korea and the Hualun Travel Corporation of Taiwan agreed to exchange written contracts in early March ahead of opening weekly flights between the two capitals around April 15.

The move is targeted at Taiwanese tourists and businesspeople, about 50,000 of whom are expected to use the service every year, the source said. He added that the Taipei branch of the North Korean corporation would handle visa issuance.

Taiwan and North Korea plan to offer a weeklong tour package covering Pyongyang, Mt. Myohyang, Mt. Chilbo and Kaesong while jointly exploring the possibility of setting up an extended sightseeing trip involving South Korea. Under such a plan, visitors to North Korea might travel between the two Koreas via the truce line that divides the peninsula into the communist North and capitalist South.

Changjiang International Trade Inc. of China will act as the agent for Taiwan`s Hualun Travel Corp. in North Korea, the source said.