Mt. Baekdu and Gaesong will be open to tourists in as early as August.

Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun said Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il gave permission for the tour.

Hyun said a test tour of Gaesong will begin on August 15th, and of Mt. Baekdu by the end of August.

After her six-day visit to North Korea, the chairwoman held a press conference in Goseong, Gangwon Province to brief the press about her meeting with the North Korean leader on Saturday.

Kim Yoon-gyu, the head of Hyundai-Asan Corp who accompanied the chairwoman during her visit, said that he was mulling over two tourist routes to Mt. Baekdu, one via air directly to the scenic mountain and the other via land through Pyongyang, hinting at possible sightseeing of Pyongyang.

An official from Hyundai-Asan Corp. projected that the Saturday discussions will serve as an opportunity to expand the tourism project to include other scenic spots in North Korea beside Mt. Geumgang.