North Korea Begins Cautious Tourism Reopening After Years of Isolation

North Korea is welcoming back tourists after years of COVID isolation, starting with tours to the Rason Special Economic Zone.

BySneha Chakraborty Published: Feb 07, 2025 06:03 PM HKT2 min read

North Korea Begins Cautious Tourism Reopening After Years of Isolation — Juche Tower and Statue in Pyongyang in North Korea | Image credit: Lukas Kindl/Pexels

North Korea has cautiously reopened its doors to foreign tourists for the first time in over five years, signalling a potential thaw in its rigid COVID-19 border closures. Beijing-based Koryo Tours has announced bookings for a unique six-day tour combining four nights in Rason, a Special Economic Zone in North Korea, with two nights in Yanji, China. The first tour is scheduled for February 12-18, coinciding with the politically significant “Day of the Shining Star”, celebrating the birthday of the late leader Kim Jong Il throughout North Korea. Koryo Tours confirmed this will be the first official tourist group since borders slammed shut in January 2020.

The itinerary offers a glimpse into carefully curated aspects of North Korean life, including visits to factories, schools, the Rajin Fine Art Gallery, and even the Golden Triangle Bank, offering tourists the unusual opportunity to open a North Korean bank account. New additions to the tour include the Rason Pupils’ and Schoolchildren’s Palace and the Chonghak Sanatorium. However, key details regarding entry requirements, the possibility of independent travel versus strictly supervised groups, and the overall border situation remain unclear. The six-day tour, including four nights in Rason, North Korea, and two in Yanji, China, is priced at EUR 705 (HKD 5,705).

Also, read about North Korea’s upcoming Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort project.

North Korea tours: Border confirmation remains pending

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China-based Young Pioneer Tours (YPT) is also accepting applications for a ‘Rason Essentials Tour’ in March, which allows you to shop at the only private market accessible to tourists in North Korea. While several companies are opening bookings, Koryo Tours has stated that programmes for February, March, and April remain tentative as they await confirmation on border policies. featuring access to the only private market accessible to tourists

Rason, established in 1991 as North Korea’s first special economic zone, has historically attracted limited numbers of Chinese and Russian visitors. Unlike Pyongyang, it remains one of the country’s least visited and most difficult areas to reach. Additionally, North Korea plans to open the Kalma tourist zone, a long-awaited ‘tourist city’ on the east coast, in June, initially scheduled for completion in 2019.

(Feature image credit: Lukas Kindl/Pexels)

Note:
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.