Hermit Kingdom No More: North Korea Will Open Up Country To Tourism

North Korea has reopened the country to limited international tourism.

According to a new CNN report, North Korea will open the country to international tourism by the end of 2024.

North Korea has been completely sealed from any tourists for the last five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beijing-based Koryo Tours and Shenyang-based KTG Tours, who are organizing the tourist trips, stated, “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.”

🇰🇵KIM: COME VISIT ME!! – NORTH KOREA TO REOPEN FOR TOURISM – FIRST TIME IN 4 YEARS

North Korea is reopening its borders to foreign tourists this December, starting with the newly revamped city of Samjiyon.

This rare opportunity comes after years of isolation, with the country… pic.twitter.com/cId7g3S0zj

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 14, 2024

🚨🇰🇵 NORTH KOREA INVITES TOURISTS FOR FIRST TIME IN 4 YEARS

After a four-year, North Korea is set to welcome international visitors again, starting in December. The country's tourism initiative will kick off in Samjiyon, a city that has undergone significant modernization.… pic.twitter.com/II7VBO3zut

— Kacee Allen (@KaceeRAllen) August 14, 2024

Here’s what CNN reported:

North Korea is to reopen limited international tourism by the end of 2024, nearly five years after it completely sealed the country’s borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic, two tour companies with connections to the isolated country have announced.

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Beijing-based Koryo Tours and Shenyang-based KTG Tours both made separate online announcements Wednesday, saying tour groups would be allowed to visit the mountainous city of Samjiyon, the purported birthplace of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

“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,” Koryo Tours said, adding that itinerary and further details will be finalized “in the coming days and weeks.”

In a separate Facebook post, KTG Tours also said exact dates for the tours were to be confirmed. “So far just Samjiyon has been mentioned but we think that PY [Pyongyang] and other places will open too!”

Samjiyon straddles the Chinese border and is close to the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, Mount Paektu, an active volcano of paramount importance and historic significance to both North and South Koreans, as it is considered the cradle of the Korean people.

🇰🇵KIM: COME VISIT ME!! – NORTH KOREA TO REOPEN FOR TOURISM – FIRST TIME IN 4 YEARS

North Korea is reopening its borders to foreign tourists this December, starting with the newly revamped city of Samjiyon.

This rare opportunity comes after years of isolation, with the country… pic.twitter.com/YHtJId6PLS

— ChoosyBluesy (@ChoosyBluesy) August 14, 2024

Per Reuters:

North Korea will resume international tourism to its northeastern city of Samjiyon in December, and possibly the rest of the country, tour companies said on Wednesday.
The move is a sign that the reclusive country is readying to reopen borders to bigger groups of foreign tourists after years of strict COVID border controls.

“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,” the Beijing-based
International flights in and out of North Korea resumed last year and a small group of Russian tourists flew to North Korea for a private tour in February.

Top foreign officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, have been visiting the country.