In addition to having numerous options for visiting Mount Paektu from their own side of the border, each summer Chinese tourists (who call it Changbaishan) have the opportunity to approach the sacred North Korean mountain from the much less frequented DPRK side.

Beginning on 10 June this year, tour agencies based in Yanji, the main city in China’s Yanbian Korean Autonomous prefecture, have once again been able to offer a three-day trip to the ‘eastern slope’ of Mt Paektu, an itinerary which is gradually growing in popularity, industry sources told NK News recently.

For the all-inclusive cost of 1,480 RMB (c.