North Korea is set to reopen its borders to international visitors after several years of strict COVID-19 border controls, according to two Chinese tour operators. Koryo Tours, based in Beijing, announced on their website Wednesday that the isolated country will welcome tourists to the northeastern city of Samjiyon and “likely the rest of the country” in December 2024.
“After waiting over four years to be able to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited to resume tourism to North Korea,” stated the tour operator. KTG Tours, based in Shenyang, also confirmed that tourists will be able to travel to Samjiyon starting in late 2024.
Since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, North Korea has largely been closed to international tourists. Koryo Tours, which has operated in the country for over 30 years, expressed that they have never experienced such a prolonged closure of the borders. International flights to and from North Korea were only resumed last year, when a small group of Russian tourists traveled to the country for a private tour in February. Their arrival coincided with strengthened ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare international trip to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia in September of the previous year.
The Russian tourist group consisted of individuals from the tourism industry and “travelers from across Russia, from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok,” according to the Russian embassy in Pyongyang at that time. North Korea has been working on building what it calls a “socialist utopia” in Samjiyon, a city near the Chinese border, promoting it as “a model for a highly civilized mountain city” with new residential buildings, hotels, a ski resort, as well as commercial, cultural, and medical facilities.
Earlier this year, Kim Jong Un dismissed several senior officials for their “irresponsible” handling of his flagship project in Samjiyon. Koryo Tours visited the city back in 2018 to assist British television personality Michael Palin with a travel documentary. The tour operator announced that their website would be open for bookings once their local partner confirms travel plans and dates in the coming weeks. “Your safety is our priority, and your enjoyment as well!” they concluded.