North Korea Is Re-opening For Guests After Years Of Shut Down

According to Koryo Tours, by December 2024, international visitors to North Korea will be permitted to travel to the city of Samjiyon and possibly other parts of the country.

Since 2020, when the global pandemic forced it to close its borders, North Korea has been completely closed to tourists from outside the country.

However, operators of tours to the country say international travel will resume this winter, lifting a COVID-era travel ban.

Some places will now be available for trips, and other parts of the country may soon be accessible.

This announcement has brought North Korean tourism back to life after more than four years.

Although some international flights into and out of the country resumed last year, North Korea has largely been closed to tourists from outside the country since 2020. According to reports, a small group from Russia visited North Korea in February.

For some time, the country has been preparing for a larger reopening. Koryo Tours says that North Korea has been working for years to make Samjiyon, a mountain city near the Chinese border, a tourist destination.

According to North Korean state media, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the city last month and praised it as “a model of highly-civilized mountain city” with new hotels, attractions, and a ski resort.

On the country’s eastern coast, another significant tourist attraction is currently under construction. This may assist North Korea in its economic recovery from the global pandemic’s devastating effects.

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Depending on factors like the point of departure, duration, group size, and lodging, introductory tours to North Korea typically cost between 600 and 1,500 euros per person.

Citizens of the Republic of Korea are the only nationalities prohibited from traveling to North Korea as tourists.

In contrast, the United States government strongly discourages travel there. U.S. visas are not legitimate for movement to, in, or through North Korea, except if they are uniquely approved by the Branch of State.”

The opening of Samjiyon most likely aims to attract Chinese tourists, who made up the majority of international visitors to North Korea prior to the pandemic.

A record 350,000 Chinese tourists visited North Korea in 2019, bringing in a significant amount of revenue for Pyongyang.