The number of tourists to Gaesong has exceeded nine-thousand just one month after tours began to the North Korean border city.

Hyundai Asan, the operator of the tour program, said Friday that around 74-hundred tourists were estimated to have visited Gaesong as of the end of December. The company said it will surpass nine-thousand on Saturday, exactly one month after the launch of the tours.

The figures show the tours are nearly sold out daily, considering that they run six days a week and by a staff of only 350 at the most.

The new tour's popularity is rising fast with the reservation rate passing 90 percent for this month.

Hyundai Asan said with the Gaesong package's strong results, it plans to introduce discounts for weekday visitors.

The operator added that it also plans to attract students by giving discounts for school groups.

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