VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/. More than ten groups of Russian tourists have visited a ski resort in North Korea in 2024, Russian Minister of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov said.

"We are working to expand tourist flows to North Korea. This is a significant area of our cooperation. More than ten groups of Russian tourists have visited the Masikryong Ski Resort in 2024," Kozlov, who is also a co-chair of the Russian-North Korean intergovernmental commission, told TASS on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

According to the minister, air flights from Vladivostok to Pyongyang have been organized for Russian tourist groups. "Charter flights are made twice a week, on Monday and Fridays. However, it is not quite easy to visit that country. You can’t just buy a ticket and go - a visit permit will be needed. That is why, we have only charter flights," he explained.

The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is underway on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok on September 3-6, 2024. The main theme of the EEF in 2024 is "Far East 2030. Combining strengths to create new potential."

The EEF is one of the largest international conferences in Russia. It has been held in the Primorsky Region’s Russky Island in Vladivostok since 2015. The Forum is the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who decreed that the event be held annually.

The forum's objectives and goals include promoting the accelerated growth of Russia’s Far East region; assessing its potential for exports; expanding international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region; showcasing the investment appeal of the region, its steadily progressing territories, and the Vladivostok free port.

The Roscongress Foundation has served as the Forum’s organizer since 2016.

TASS is the general information partner of the EEF.