North Korean leader Kim’s ‘bitter sorrow’ over deadly Chinese tour bus crash
North Korean leader has expressed ‘bitter sorrow’ over a tragic bus accident in the country which killed 32 Chinese tourists.
Thirty-two Chinese tourists and four North Koreans died in the accident south of Pyongyang when their bus plunged off a bridge.
In a rare public appearance, Kim visited the few survivors in hospital and what is even rarer is state controlled KCNA news agency publishing a negative news story in the first place.
"The unexpected accident brought bitter sorrow to his (Kim’s) heart and that he couldn’t control his grief at the thought of the bereaved families," KCNA reported.
"The North Korean people take the tragic accident as their own misfortune," it added.
North Korea’s openness in reporting the tragedy reflects China’s influence as its one true ally in the world.
The cause of the crash has not been disclosed.
China is usually quick to fire off warnings to countries over tour bus safety, as it has done in the past after deadly crashes in countries such as Thailand and South Korea.
After worldwide sanctions China is by far the largest source market for tourism into North Korea.
The US market has all but dried up after an outbound travel ban by the Trump Administration, yet once had a 20% market share of all inbound tourism to North Korea.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports