North Korea to partially reopen for tourism after five years

North Korea will reopen one city to foreign tourists in December after nearly five years of border closures due to the Covid pandemic, according to tour operators.

At least two China-based operators announced that tourists will soon be allowed to visit the mountainous northern city of Samjiyon.

Reclusive North Korea sealed itself off at the start of the pandemic in early 2020, and started to scale back restrictions only in the middle of last year.

The border closures also cut off imports of essential goods, leading to food shortages that were made worse by international sanctions because of the country’s nuclear programme.

“So far just Samjiyon has been officially confirmed but we think that Pyongyang and other places will open too!!!” Shenyang’s KTG Tours wrote on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

Beijing’s Koryo Tour said tourists could “potentially” visit other parts of North Korea in December.

“Having waited for over four years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited for the opening of North Korean tourism once again,” it said Wednesday on its website.

Koryo Tours told the BBC that the North Korean authorities were allowing tourists from any country to join the trips, apart from South Korea. However, the US bans its citizens from travelling to North Korea.

Chad O’Carroll, CEO of US-based analysis firm Korea Risk Group, flagged doubts around the reopening announcement.

“I will believe it when I see it,” he told the BBC. “For now, I am quite sceptical we will see any real movement in December.”

Samjiyon has been undergoing major redevelopment in recent years, with Mr Kim revealing plans in July to rebuild its airport, convert a military ski base into a resort, and build new railways and hotels for foreign tourists, according to state media.

Mr Kim said at the time that plans to “revitalise international tourism” would be aimed at visitors from “friendly” nations.

Mr O’Carroll pointed out, however, that Samjiyong’s redevelopment is incomplete.

“If it does get completed in time, I can imagine only Russian tourists and possibly Chinese visiting in any real numbers at first,” he said. “Unless [the Democratic Republic of Korea] offers direct Samjiyon flights to a neutral connection country like Mongolia.”

Samjiyon lies on the foot of North Korea’s tallest mountain Paektu, which straddles the China-North Korea border, and is known for its winter attractions.

Pyongyang’s propaganda says the mountain is where North Korea’s founder Kim Il Sung battled Japanese occupation forces and launched the revolution. He is the grandfather of current president Kim Jong Un.

It also claims Paektu is where the incumbent’s father, Kim Jong Il, was born.

KCNA reported in July that the Mount Paektu-Samjiyon zone was envisioned to be a “four-season mountainous tourist area to meet the cultural and emotional needs of the people on the highest level and revitalise international tourism.”

North Korea has only allowed Russian tourists to enter the country since early 2024, amid warming ties between the two nations.

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.