North Korea opens borders to tourists in December

In December, North Korea will open its borders to foreign tourists. At least for foreigners who want to go to the northeastern city of Samjiyon, but other parts of the country may be accessible again. Various travel agencies report this.

North Korea has not allowed foreign tourists since the start of the corona pandemic in January 2020. Only this year, for the first time, a handful of Russian tourists were welcomed again. The news seems to indicate that the Stalinist country is ready to reopen its borders to larger groups of foreigners.

“We have received confirmation from our local partner that tourism to Samjiyon and possibly the rest of the country will officially start in December 2024,” Beijing-based travel agency Koryo Tours said on its website. KTG Tours, another travel agency, also says it will offer tours to Samjiyon next winter.

North Korea is building what it calls a “socialist utopia” in Samjiyon, a city near the Chinese border, a “model city” with new apartments, hotels, a ski resort and commercial, cultural and medical facilities .

The country also has plans for a mega beach resort at Wonsan-Kalma, on North Korea’s east coast. That should open in May next year.

Foreign tourists cannot travel through North Korea on their own, but they cannot join organized tours run by travel agencies recognized by the regime.