North Korea set to reopen borders to foreign tourists

The reclusive country has largely been closed to tourists since 2020, when it imposed strict COVID-19 border controls.

North Korea is set to reopen its borders to international visitors after years of strict COVID-19 border controls, say two Chinese tour operators.

Beijing-based Koryo Tours announced on its website on Wednesday that the reclusive country would be welcoming tourists to the northeastern city of Samjiyon and “likely the rest of the country” in December 2024.

“Having waited for over four years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited for the opening of North Korean tourism once again,” said the operator.

Big News! https://t.co/RTEsf1BB97 pic.twitter.com/g0XbeJhGYG

— Koryo Tours (@KoryoTours) August 14, 2024

KTG Tours, based in Shenyang, also announced that tourists would be able to go to Samjiyon starting at the end of 2024.

North Korea has largely been closed to international tourists since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Koryo Tours, which has been operating in the country for over 30 years, said it had never come across such a lengthy closure of the borders.

International flights in and out of North Korea only resumed last year, when a small group of Russian tourists flew there for a private tour in February.

Their arrival came as Moscow and Pyongyang bolstered ties, with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un making a rare overseas trip to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia last September, the latter visiting North Korea in June.

The Russian tour group included people in the tourism business and “travellers from literally all parts of Russia from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok”, said the Russian embassy in Pyongyang at the time.

North Korea has been building what it has called a “socialist utopia” in Samjiyon, a city near the Chinese border, billing it as “a model of highly civilised mountain city”, with new apartments, hotels, a ski resort and commercial, cultural and medical facilities.

Back in July, Kim sacked or demoted some senior officials for their “irresponsible” handling of his flagship Samjiyon project.

Koryo Tours visited the city back in 2018 while assisting British television star Michael Palin with a travel documentary.

The operator said its website would be open for bookings once its local partner confirmed itineraries and dates in the coming weeks.

“Your safety is our priority,” it said. “And your enjoyment too!”