After nearly five years of border closures as a result of the Covid crisis, North Korea may resume one town to international visitors in December.
Travelers will soon be able to visit the rocky northern area of Samjiyon, according to at least two China-based tour operators.
Reclusive North Korea sealed itself off at the start of the pandemic in early 2020. It started to scale back restrictions only in the middle of last year.
The border closures even prevented imports of essential goods, which contributed to food scarcity that were worsened by international sanctions due to the nation’s nuclear program.
” We believe that Pyongyang and different places may start as well,” according to the official statement that Samjiyon has been confirmed so much. Shenyang’s KTG Tours wrote on its Facebook section on Wednesday.
Beijing’s Koryo Tour said travelers may “potentially” visit different sections of North Korea in December.
Koryo Tours, which has been anticipating this statement for more than four years, expressed its excitement on Wednesday on its site about the return of North Korean tourism.
Samjiyon lies on the feet of North Korea’s tallest hills Paektu, which straddles the China-North Korea border. It is known for its autumn destinations.
According to Pyongyang’s advertising, Kim Il Sung, the leader of North Korea, fought the Japanese occupation forces and started the revolution there. Kim Jong Un’s father is his.
It also claims Paektu is where the candidate’s parents, Kim Jong Il, was born.
According to state media, Mr. Kim reportedly plans to repair its airport, change a military skiing base into a hotel, and construct new railways and hotels for foreign tourists in the area. In recent years, it has been under significant redevelopment.
Mr Kim said strategies to “revitalize global tourism” would be aimed at readers from “friendly” regions.
The Mount Paektu-Samjiyon zone, according to a KCNA report at the time, was intended to be a “four-season hilly tourist area to meet the highest level of social and psychological needs of the people” and to revitalize global tourism.
In light of the strengthening ties between the two countries, North Korea has simply allowed Russian tourists to visit the region since first 2024.
Aside from South Korea, one of the journey companies, Koryo Tours, claimed that the government of North Korea was allowing visitors from all nations to travel there. Yet, the US bans its people from travelling to North Korea.
It was only in August last year that North Korea allowed the return of citizens who were locked out because of border controls, one of the last few countries to do so.