North Korea to Allow Citizens Abroad to Return Home as COVID-19 Restrictions Ease

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Sunday it will allow its citizens abroad to return home, in line with the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions around the world as the country gradually eases the strict restrictions it applied during the pandemic.

In a brief statement published by state media, the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters said that people returning to North Korea will be quarantined for a week for medical observation.

The statement did not provide further details. But analysts predicted the announcement will lead to the return of students, workers and other North Koreans who have had to stay abroad, mainly in China and Russia, due to the pandemic. These workers are a crucial source of foreign exchange for the country.

North Korea banned tourists, expelled diplomats and severely restricted general transit and commerce after the pandemic began. The lockdown has further exacerbated the country’s chronic economic hardship and food insecurity.

This month, South Korea’s spy agency said the North Korean government was preparing to gradually reopen its borders further in a bid to revive its economy.

A North Korean commercial plane landed in Beijing on Tuesday, the first international commercial flight from North Korea known to have left the country in about 3 1/2 years. The aircraft returned from the Chinese capital hours later, but it is unknown who was on board.

A few weeks ago, a group of about 80 North Korean taekwondo athletes and officials traveled overland to Beijing and then flew to Kazakhstan to participate in an international competition. It was the first time such a large delegation of North Koreans had made a trip abroad since the pandemic began.