Pyongyang, 15 August 2024 (TDI): North Korea will reopen one city to foreign tourists in December after nearly 5 years of border closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
At least two China-based tour operator companies have announced that tourists will soon be allowed to visit the mountainous northern city of Samjiyon.
Reclusive North Korea closed itself off at the start of the pandemic in early 2020. It began to scale back restrictions only in the middle of last year.
The border closures also stopped imports of essential goods, leading to food shortages that were made worse by global sanctions because of the Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
“So far only Samjiyon has been confirmed but we think that Pyongyang and other spots will open too” Shenyang’s KTG Tours said on its Facebook page on Wednesday.
Beijing’s Koryo Tour said tourists could possibly visit other parts of North Korea in December.
“Having waited for over 4 years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very happy for the starting of North Korean tourism once again,” it said Wednesday on its website.
Samjiyon lies on the foot of the country’s tallest mountain Paektu, which straddles the China-North Korea border. It is famous for its winter attractions.
Pyongyang’s propaganda says the mountain is where North’s founder Kim Il Sung battled Japanese occupation troops and launched the revolution. He is the grandfather of the incumbent leader Kim Jong Un.
Also Read More: Russia-North Korea sign strategic partnership pact
Samjiyon is famous for winter tourism, sitting at the foot of North Korea’s tallest mountain.
It also claims Paektu is where the incumbent leader’s father, Kim Jong Il, was born.
Samjiyon has been undergoing major redevelopment in recent years, with Kim revealing plans last month to rebuild its airport, convert a military ski base into a resort, and build new hotels and railways for foreign tourists, according to state media.
