North Korea to partially reopen for international tourism after five years

North Korea closed its borders for foreign tourism in the early 2020s, during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly after five years, North Korea will reopen its borders to foreign tourists in the winter this year.

This comes after North Korea started easing its restrictions around the middle of last year. Theclosing of borders also halted the import of goods leading to food shortages already worsened by the international sanctions due to the country’s nuclear programme.

As per the BBC report, tourists will be allowed to the mountainous northern city of Samjiyon very soon.

BBC quoted Shenyang's KTG Tours as writing on its Facebook pageon Wednesday:“So far just Samjiyon has been officially confirmed but we think that Pyongyang and other places will open too!!!”. As per the Beijing-basedKoryo Tours, tourists can visit other parts of North Korea in December.

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Koryo Tours, according to the BBC, said,“Having waited for over four years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited for the opening of North Korean tourism once again.”Samjiyon is located at the base of North Korea’s tallest mountain Paektu, and is famous for its winter attractions.

Paektu is known as the site where Kim Il Sung fought against Japanese forces. It is also said to be the birthplace of Kim Jong II. In recent times, Samjiyon has reportedly undergone significant development.

In July, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly announced plans to enhance its airports, develop new railways, and hotels to attract tourists as well as transform a military ski base into a resort. However, North Korea will only welcome foreign visitors from “friendly” countries, reported BBC, citing the state media.

Since early 2024, only tourists from Russia were granted permission to visit North Korea, reflecting the warming ties between the two countries. The Koryo Tours told the BBC that North Korean authorities allowed tourists from every country except South Korea. However, the United Stateshas banned its citizens from visiting North Korea.

In August last year, North Korean authorities allowed the return of citizens who were stuck outside the nation because of border restrictions, one of the last countries to ease such measures.

(With inputs from agencies)