Tour Operators: North Korea Will ‘Reopen For Tourists’ By End Of 2024

In this photo taken on June 25, 2023, a banner that reads "Tens of millions of people pledge to defy death for defending country!" is seen as residents of Pyongyang attend a mass rally to mark the "day of struggle against US imperialism", on the 73rd anniversary of the three-year Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950, at the Mayday Stadium in Pyongyang. (Photo by KIM Won Jin / AFP) (Photo by KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images)
In this photo taken on June 25, 2023, a banner that reads “Tens of millions of people pledge to defy death for defending country!” is seen as residents of Pyongyang attend a mass rally to mark the “day of struggle against US imperialism” (Photo by KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:51 PM – Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Two tourism companies have announced that North Korea will reopen to traveling foreigners by the end of 2024 following a shut down of all tourism.

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The announcements from KTG Tours and Koryo Tours stated that tourism will be limited to the city of Samjiyon, an area in North Korea near the Chinese border.

“We have received confirmation from our local partner that tourism to Samjiyon and likely the rest of the country will officially resume in December 2024,” said Koryo Tours. “Having waited for over four years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited for the opening of North Korean tourism once again.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Samjiyon was a popular destination for Chinese tourists, which provided the largely financially isolated country an extra income of foreign funds.

Even though official North Korean channels have not confirmed the change, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently inspected Samjiyon construction sites and he has previously mentioned a desire to prioritize visitors from what he referred to as “friendly” nations, such as “China and Russia.”

North Korean borders have been sealed off from tourists entering the country since the COVID-19 pandemic, with one exception being 100 Russian visitors that were allowed into the country back in February.

Typically, foreign visitors are closely watched by North Korean authorities on guided tours, where they are only allowed to interact with “chosen” citizens and stay in isolated hotels.

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