North Korea to reopen to tourists this year, starting with Samjiyon

North Korea is slowly beginning to reopen its borders.

For nearly five years, North Korea's borders have remained closed to foreign travelers due to restrictions put in place during the pandemic. Now, the country is preparing to gradually reopen to tourism, starting with the city of Samjiyon, BBC News reported Thursday.

In January 2020, North Korea became the first country in the world to go into lockdown and close its international borders due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since then, the country has been slow to lift the lockdowns. But those restrictions are easing. Last August, Air Koryo conducted its first international air traffic control. first commercial flight in three years between Beijing and Pyongyang. Around the same time, North Korea announced it would allow citizens living abroad go home provided that a one-week quarantine is carried out upon arrival.

According to the BBC, ChinaBeijing-based tour operators recently revealed plans to restart tourism in some parts of North Korea. “We have received confirmation from our local partner that tourism in Samjiyon and likely the rest of the country will officially resume in December 2024,” Beijing-based Koryo Tours wrote on its website. website. “After waiting more than four years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited about the reopening of North Korean tourism.”

Separately, KTG Tours of Shenyang announced the news in an article published on its website Facebook Page. “So far, only Samjiyon has been officially confirmed, but we believe Pyongyang and other places will open as well!!!”

Interested travelers will have to stay tuned for itinerary dates, which are expected to be released in the coming weeks. Samjiyon is located in North Korea’s Ryanggang Province, near Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula. The resort town is named after the three lakes in the area and is home to the grand Samjiyon Monument. It also hosts an annual ice sculpture festival each winter.

“Samjiyon is North Korea’s most famous winter tourism region and is home to the country’s famous volcanic mountain, Mount Paektu,” Koryo Tours said on its website. “In North Korea, it is considered the cradle of the revolution and the alleged birthplace of Kim Jong Il.” the South“This is the birthplace of the Korean people. For the entire Korean Peninsula, it is the most important and sacred place.”