CHANGCHUN - Tourism authorities in China's northeastern Yanbian, a Korean autonomous prefecture, said on Wednesday that more charter flights will be run between the prefecture and Pyongyang.

Fifty direct charter flights will soon be available between Yanji, capital of the prefecture, and Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said Wang Yanbo, deputy chief of the Yanji City Tourism Bureau.

Aiming to attract tourists to the DPRK, two travel agencies have been authorized to operate charter flights between Yanji and Pyongyang since July, said Wang.

According to the official, more than 30 flights were operated between the start of July and the end of November, carrying a total of 3,000 passengers.

In addition, international charter flights between the city and Vladivostok of Russia, and the cities of Busan, Jeju, Cheongju and Taegu in the Republic of Korea, will also be launched this year, according to Wang.

Bordering the DPRK, Yanbian, under the jurisdiction of Jilin Province, is the only autonomous prefecture of the Korean ethnic group in China.