Twenty-seven years ago today, on November 18, 1998 (September 30, 1998 lunar calendar), the first group of South Korean tourists went to North Korea for sightseeing. On the afternoon of November 18, 1998, the first group of South Korean tourists to visit Mount Kumgang in North Korea left the East Port in Gangwon Province on the eastern coast of South Korea on the large luxury passenger ship "Hyundai Diamond", which was operated by South Korea Hyundai Group. There were 1,430 passengers on board the "Hyundai Diamond", of which 889 were tourists, and the rest were crew members and guides. This was the first time since 1948 that South Korean residents had visited North Korea by sea. More than half of the tourists were from North Korea. The tour was also joined by the honorary chairperson of Hyundai Group, his younger brother, Zheng Shiyong, and his son, Zheng Mengjiu. South Korea's Unification Ministry issued a statement on the departure of the Hyundai Diamond, saying it hoped to use the success of the Mount Kumgang tourism project as an opportunity to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in areas that are beneficial to both Koreas.