On the night of April 25, 2018, a special train arranged by the North Korean government was about to depart from Pyongyang, and the special train was bound for Beijing. To the surprise of many, before the special train was issued, Kim Jong-un personally came to the station to see him off, and at the same time, many senior North Korean officials came to the station.
In North Korea, this is undoubtedly a very high standard of reception, so what is different about this special train to Beijing? Why did it receive special courtesy from the Kim Jong-un government? It turned out that this special train escorted the bodies of 32 Chinese tourists who had been killed in North Korea and other injured in the accident.
The Korean Peninsula has always been an important neighbor of China, and has been closely linked to Chinese mainland since ancient times, and after the establishment of New China, the common ideology of the two countries has brought the relationship closer together. Later, the volunteers entered the DPRK to help the Korean people defeat the invaders, and the two countries became comrades-in-arms who shared weal and woe. Because of this factor, the Chinese have always had an inexplicable sense of affinity with North Korea.
2018 is the 65th anniversary of the victory in the Korean War, and it is a special year for the people of China and North Korea. Celebrations are held in many places in North Korea, and many tourists from other countries are also attracted at the same time.
In the past, North Korea's special national conditions made the local tourism industry development in North Korea very slow, and tourists from other countries often did not choose North Korea. However, the DPRK's own tourism conditions are very good, and the country not only has a large number of beautiful scenery, but also attractive folk customs, which have become one of the signboards of North Korean tourism.
Of course, the main force of North Korean tourism is naturally Chinese tourists, and with the rapid development of China's economy, Chinese tourists have become an important group in the world's tourism industry. North Korea is also developing its tourism industry for its own development, and hopes to have more Chinese tourists to boost its economy.
For Chinese, traveling to North Korea not only experiences folk customs and natural landscapes, but also personally visits the main battlefields of the Korean War, which has special historical significance.
Therefore, the number of Chinese tourists who have been traveling to the DPRK since 18 years has been increasing, but no one could have imagined that just before the peak of tourism to the DPRK, a bus tragedy would change everything. On the night of April 22, a tour group was on their way back to Pyongyang when there was a serious traffic accident.
At that time, the tour group had taken the Chinese tourists to visit the two scenic spots of Panmunjom and Shangganling, and there were other itineraries according to the original plan. Unexpectedly, it rained heavily and affected by the weather, so they could only cancel the rest of the trip and return to Pyongyang ahead of schedule.
On the way back, when the bus collided with another vehicle on a bridge in North Huanghai Road, the bus lost control and fell directly to the bottom of the bridge. The height of the bridge is more than 30 meters, and the huge impact force caused only 2 of the 38 people on board to survive. All 32 Chinese tourists and four North Korean staff members were killed.
The accident immediately aroused great concern in China and the DPRK, and upon learning of the incident, the DPRK immediately dispatched a rescue team, and the Chinese side quickly got in touch with the DPRK. When Kim Jong-un learned of the incident, he immediately terminated other arrangements and went to the hospital to visit the two survivors in person. In the event of such a major accident, China quickly dispatched a medical team and a working team, which is undoubtedly a major blow to Kim Jong-un.
Mr. Kim had hoped to strengthen cooperation with China to help North Korea out of its predicament, but the accident put him under tremendous pressure. Therefore, Kim Jong-un immediately sent someone to start an investigation, and he needs to find out the truth of the matter as soon as possible and give China an explanation.
After all, Chinese tourists are the main force supporting North Korea's tourism industry, and if this matter is not handled well, it will be a devastating blow to North Korea's tourism industry. A few days later, Kim Jong-un personally bid farewell to the bodies of the victims and other wounded in a high-profile manner, and they quickly found out what happened.
The bus accident is not just an accident, the facilities on the road section are in disrepair and have been seriously aged. The buses taken by tour groups also have serious safety hazards, such as the brakes of the buses have always been problematic, although the final cause of the accident is heavy rain, but these factors can not be ignored. After learning the results of the investigation, Kim Jong-un was furious, and there were four main people responsible for the accident, all of whom were shot by order of Kim Jong-un.
In the end, under Kim Jong-un's disposal, the North Korean side gave China an explanation. However, this incident has still dealt a big blow to North Korea's tourism industry, and many tourism projects that North Korea has vigorously developed have been given a cold reception. As a result of this incident, the number of Chinese tourists visiting North Korea has been decreasing, and a year later, the new crown epidemic has completely disrupted the tourism industry. This is undoubtedly a huge disaster for the DPRK, which is trying its best to develop its economy.