[News Today] NK posts train, flight schedules to China

[LEAD]
North Korea posted new train and flight schedules to China, a possible sign of strengthening ties with Beijing.

If confirmed, it would mark the first rail service between the two countries in over five years, since the start of the pandemic.

[REPORT]
This is the Choson Tourism website operated by North Korea's National Tourism Administration.

Under the title, 'timetable for international trains,' schedules for trains linking Pyongyang to Beijing and Dandong have been recently posted.

Round trips from Pyongyang to Dandong, Shenyang and Beijing run four times a week.

If train operations between the North and China are indeed resuming, it will be the first in five years and six months since they were suspended in early 2020 amid the spread of COVID-19.

Also posted are flight schedules connecting Pyongyang and Shanghai twice a week.

Marking the revival of a regular Shanghai route in addition to the current Beijing route.

Amid an atmosphere of bilateral personnel exchanges picking up speed, experts believe the primary reason for the latest move is to attract Chinese tourists to the recently opened Wonsan Galma District.

Cho Han-bum / Korea Inst. for Nat'l Unification
N. Korea is focused on drawing tourists from Russia but that's not enough.
Even in the past, Chinese tourists far outnumbered those from Russia.

While North Korea has tightened military cooperation with Russia, pundits believe that it also realizes the need to improve relations with China to boost trade and industry.

Prof. Lim Eul-chul / Kyungnam University
There are many tangible and intangible benefits to be gained such as knowhow, technology and important information related to Chinese industrial sites.

In recent days, the two sides held a grand banquet marking the 64th anniversary of the signing of a friendship treaty with high ranking officials in attendance.

It remains to be seen whether regular train and flight services will really resume and lead to cooperation between the two sides for economic revitalization, namely in tourism.