North Korea to reopen to foreign tourists this winter, tour operators say

Photo: Kim Won Jin Agence France-Presse “So far, only Samjiyon has been officially confirmed, but we believe Pyongyang and other places will also open,” tour operator KTG Tours said. Pyongyang’s Sungri Street is seen here in January.

Sam Davies – Agence France-Presse in Beijing

Published at 12:59

• Asia

North Korea will fully reopen its borders to foreign tourists in December after nearly five years of a pandemic ban, two tour operators said, while Pyongyang had not confirmed the information on Thursday.

The East Asian country largely cut itself off from the outside world in early 2020 when it abruptly closed its borders, including to its own citizens.

The decision was made because of the presence in neighboring China of a mysterious virus that would later cause the COVID-19 epidemic.

Trade with China has since resumed in small increments, and last year, North Korea’s first international commercial flight landed in Beijing after a three-year hiatus.

In February, Russian tourists were able to visit North Korea for the first time since the end of the pandemic, amid diplomatic rapprochement between Moscow and Pyongyang.

But this The destination remains generally closed to other nationalities, including the Chinese, who before 2020 were the most numerous to visit the country.

A full recovery in tourism in North Korea now appears to be taking shape, according to two tour operators specializing in this destination. North Korea has not officially communicated.

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Ski resort

“We have received confirmation from our local partner that tourism [in the North Korean city of] Samjiyon and potentially in the rest of the country will officially resume in December 2024,” travel agency Koryo Tours, whose headquarters is in Beijing.

“The wait has been long” for the resumption of tourism in North Korea, the director rejoiced Thursday to AFP from Koryo Tours, Simon Cockerell.

“Demand has been strong throughout” the pandemic, underlined Mr. Cockerell, who expects a “ bounce” for this destination.

The North Korean town of Samjiyon, located near the border with China, is a gateway to visiting Mount Paektu, where, according to official accounts, the late North Korean number one Kim Jong Il was born.

His son and successor, Kim Jong Un, invested huge sums of money in the development of the region, with new apartments, hotels and a ski resort.

Exact dates 'to be confirmed'

The China-based tour operator KTG Tours, which specializes in North Korea, wrote on its Facebook page that tourists will be able to visit Samjiyon “this winter.”

“Exact dates to be confirmed. So far, only Samjiyon has been officially confirmed, but we believe Pyongyang and other places will open as well,” the tour operator added.

Before the pandemic, some 5,000 Westerners traveled to North Korea each year, according to figures provided by tour operators.

Americans alone made up nearly 20% of that market before the United States banned its nationals from the destination following the 2017 death of Otto Warmbier.

The student, who was imprisoned in North Korea and released by Pyongyang after 18 months, died on American soil shortly after his repatriation in a coma.

Koryo Tours warned, however, that after about a five-year hiatus, “things could be a little more chaotic than usual” for the first foreigners to visit North Korea again. And even more so in December, when temperatures are freezing.