Delivery time2023-08-27 18:15
[앵커]
North Korea has completely loosened the cross-border gates it had locked to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
It was approved for the return of residents living abroad.
Although this measure will lead to revitalization of trade between North Korea and China, it is predicted that it will take some time for the tourism industry to revive.
This is reporter Ji Seong-rim.
[기자]
North Koreans who have been stranded overseas due to the long-term blockade of the border by the North Korean authorities can now return home.
The opening of the border was made official three years and seven months after the declaration of border closure at the end of January 2020.
<조선중앙방송> “Notification of the National Emergency Prevention Agency. In accordance with the decision of the National Emergency Prevention Agency to adjust the quarantine level in relation to the easing of the spread of malignant infectious diseases worldwide, the return of Korean citizens who were staying abroad has been approved.”
However, residents returning to North Korea must be isolated in a facility for one week and undergo ‘thorough medical surveillance’.
North Korean Air Koryo planes recently carried residents who had stayed in China several times, and the opening of the skyway connecting Pyongyang and Vladivostok, Russia, seems to be a movement following the ‘return approval’.
Previously, North Korea had been easing border closures only on a limited basis for several months.
Only certain people, such as diplomats, traders, and sports players who absolutely needed an overseas business trip, were allowed to leave or return.
However, from now on, so-called ‘citizens’ such as workers dispatched overseas, employees at restaurants abroad, and students studying abroad can enter and leave the country.
There are observations that the lifting of the border blockade will lead to the expansion of trade between North Korea and China and the revival of smuggling trade that has been suspended, which will directly affect the revitalization of North Korean marketplaces.
However, because of the ‘one-week quarantine’, it is unlikely that foreign tourists, including Chinese, will be able to resume tourism in North Korea for the time being.
This is Yonhap News TV Ji Seong-rim. (yoonik@yna.co.kr)
#North Korea #border blockade_lifting #overseas stay #return_approval #tourism
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2023/08/27 18:15 Sent
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2023-08-27 09:15:57
