Travel agencies: North Korea reopens to tourists
North Korea is isolated from the rest of the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the country has further isolated itself. Now, leader Kim is said to want to allow larger tourist groups back into the country. Travel agencies are reportedly offering a special destination to their clients.
According to travel agencies, North Korea plans to resume tourism on a larger scale, initially in the showcase city of Samjiyon in the northeast of the country. Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based travel agency, confirmed on its website that tours to Samjiyon and possibly the rest of the country will officially resume in December. KTG Tours also announced that Samjiyon will be accessible again this winter. This development signals that the isolated country is once again allowing larger groups of tourists after years of strict border controls related to COVID-19. While international flights resumed last year, a small group of Russian tourists traveled privately in February, and some high-ranking politicians, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, visited the country.
However, there has been no full access for a large number of people interested in visiting the country led by Kim Jong Un since 2020. The city that the two travel agencies are initially offering to their clients is located near the border with China.
North Korea has described Samjiyon as a "highly civilized mountain model city" with new apartments, hotels, a ski resort, shopping facilities, cultural institutions, and medical care, and has referred to it as a "socialist utopia." In July, Kim Jong Un dismissed or demoted several high-ranking managers of Samjiyon and accused them of acting "irresponsibly."
Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, is the one who is reportedly seeking to allow larger tourist groups back into the country. According to KTG Tours, tours to Samjiyon and potentially other parts of North Korea will officially resume in December.
