On the afternoon of May 21, reporters learned from border inspection authorities in the Pudong area that Shanghai's first tour to North Korea is expected to take place at the end of May. It is understood that since China allowed Chinese tour groups to travel to North Korea in the second half of last year, numerous Shanghai residents have been paying attention to the North Korea travel situation. However, since the detailed rules for the implementation of travel to North Korea have yet to be officially issued almost all tourist agencies in Shanghai so far refrained from organizing groups composed of individual tourists. Recently, some tourist agencies in Shanghai have started to accept the applications for travel to North Korea. The price for a four-day tour to North Korea is around 4,600 yuan. To date, 24 people have applied, with the oldest applicant aged 65 and the youngest aged 28. More than 60 percent of the applicants are retired. Chinese residents can pay with euros in North Korea, and also use renminbi in some shops. North Korea's customs department does not allow tourists to bring in cell phones, which must be deposited at the department before entry. However, they may bring in devices such as cameras and video cameras, as well as some medicines. According to Pudong border inspection, Chinese citizens may currently travel to North Korea on either business travel or border tourism. The North Korea tour routes currently being planned by travel agencies will be available for tourists at the end of May at the earliest. Flights will go from Shanghai to Beijing before leaving for North Korea or fly via cities in northeastern China. Relevant tour policies regarding direct flights from Shanghai to North Korea have not yet been released.