South Korean tour operator Hyundai Asan will start tours to "inner" Kumgang early next month, while tours to the mountaintop will begin later in mid-April, owing to inclement weather conditions at the summit.

Last year, some 350,000 tourists visited Mount Kumgang, but Hyundai Asan says it is expecting that number to grow by nearly 25 percent this year.

The tour company will make one last visit to the area at the end of this month to determine whether the 16-km-long Birobong trek will be a day trip or require an overnight stay.

Arirang News