Thai and Taiwanese travel agents are looking forward to business opportunities after the US-North Korea talks

[Shinichi Nishiwaki, Bangkok, Shizuya Fukuoka, Taipei] Ahead of the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore on the 12th, business people from Thailand, which has diplomatic relations with North Korea, and Taiwan, which has deep economic ties, have already expressed their concern. There are voices expressing expectations for developments ``after the talks.''

This is because US President Trump has shown a conciliatory stance, saying that while he will maintain sanctions against North Korea, he has stopped calling it ``maximum pressure.'' There are several travel agencies in Thailand that offer North Korea tours.

The group is looking for around 15 participants for a one-week tour from April to October, when the local climate is nice. Among them, ``Maryland Travel Service'' in Bangkok is a long-established company that has been handling North Korea tours for about 30 years.

Mr. Siripin Sarshan (52) of the company said that although he was skeptical about changes in North Korea, he expected interest to increase, saying, ``Since it's global hot news, more people might want to know what North Korea is like.'' . Another executive at another travel agency said, ``I hope that North Korea will become a more open country after the meeting.It's up to Kim Jong Un (Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea).''

Thailand is in line with sanctions against North Korea based on UN Security Council resolutions.

In April 2016, total trade between the two countries was $2.61 million (approximately 286 million yen), but in April of this year, exports from Thailand plummeted to only $10,000. On the other hand, while some North Korean restaurants, which are one of North Korea's sources of foreign currency, have been forced to close in Southeast Asian countries, a total of four restaurants in and around Bangkok are still operating.

In May, North Korea's vice foreign minister and others visited Bangkok.

According to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two leaders exchanged views on the status of preparations for the U.S.-North Korea summit and future diplomatic relations. Taiwan, which is not a member of the United Nations, has also banned trade with North Korea since September last year and has urged people to refrain from traveling to North Korea. A representative from a travel agency in Taipei said, ``We don't know how the talks will turn out, so we want to see the progress without making any preconceptions.'' However, given the strong historical business ties with North Korea, ``If the talks happen, we will "There is a possibility that there will be positive effects such as an increase in the number of tourists," he said, looking ahead. <Mainichi Shimbun>

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