refurbished the ferry to serve as a cruise ship. The Man Gyong Bong 92's new route traveled along the east coast of North Korea between Rason, in the northeast, and Mount Kumgang, near the South Korean border. The purpose of this cruise was to boost North Korea’s tourism, the one industry that is exempt from United Nations economic sanctions. The tourists would meet in Yanji, China and drive three hours to Rason, North Korea. The Man Gyong Bong 92 would take them to Mount Kumgang, a scenic tourist destination complete with beaches and a golf resort. This area was jointly operated by North and South Korea until the fatal shooting of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier in 2008, upon which all South Korean property was seized by the North. The trial run of the cruise took place in late August 2011. Many of the approximately 200 passengers were travel agents, media, and North Korean officials, with some paying about US $470 for the 5-day trip on both land and sea. The trip south to Mount Kumgang took about 21 hours while the trip back took about 22 hours. In contrast to the lavish send-off the ship received in Rason, the passengers were cramped into bedrooms and were assigned either a wooden bunk bed or a mattress on the floor. Meals were also simple and served “cafeteria-style”. In February 2013, North Korea reported replacing the Man Gyon Bong 92 with a Singaporean cruise ship called the Royale Star. Satellite images subsequently placed the Man Gyong Bong 92 in Wonsan Harbor. Current status In September 2014, North Korea was expected to send a report to Japan that addressed the fate of the 1970s-1980s abductees. In August, though, the country made further requests for Japan to ease sanctions and provide further humanitarian aid in return for the report. These requests were suspected to be aimed at the allowance of the Man Gyong Bong 92 into Japanese waters. In March 2015, Japan continued to apply sanctions against North Korea when no further reports were made regarding the abductees, leaving the Man Gyong Bong 92 anchored in Wonsan. In 2017, the ferry performed a trial run between Rason and Vladivostok, Russia. In February 2018, the ship docked at Mukho, South Korea, carrying a 140-person orchestra for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The ship also carried an art troupe and was the first