North Korea鈥檚 tourism agency has launched a website offering holiday options ranging from surfing to rice planting, despite strong US warnings to avoid travel to a nation where several trips have ended in jail.
Sixteen Americans have been detained in the past decade in North Korea, including 22-year-old student Otto Warmbier who was given a long prison term for stealing a hotel propaganda banner. He was sent home in a coma in June but died several days later.
The 鈥淒PR Korea Tour鈥� website, run by the North鈥檚 National Tourism Administration, depicts the country 鈥� which is subject to stiff sanctions over its weapons programs 鈥� as just another tourist destination.
It introduces package trips to various parts of the country including the capital Pyongyang, and offers various 鈥渢heme tours鈥� for travellers seeking something more unusual.
Visitors are invited to check out beaches on the east coast, including the Majon Bathing Beach, where 鈥渟urfing has come into vogue among tourists鈥� for its favorable conditions and clean water.
The website also provides basic travel information like air and train routes and ways to get around Pyongyang using public transport such as cabs and buses.
However, it does not allow users to book tours directly and does not list the handful of foreign agencies that arrange trips to the isolated state.
The site is available in Korean, English, Chinese, Russian and Japanese and can be found at聽. The country鈥檚 official name is the Democratic People鈥檚 Republic of Korea.
The US State Department strongly warns Americans against travelling to North Korea, citing 鈥渟erious risk of arrest and long-term detention鈥�.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand are among other nations giving similar warnings.