Travel agencies say North Korea reopens border city to tourism

Travel agencies say North Korea reopens border city to tourism because most travelers  enter the country by plane or train from China

Tourism to the North was limited before the pandemic, with tour companies saying around 5,000 Western tourists visited each year.

Later,

It strengthened defenses along its northern border with China to discourage its own citizens from entering the country illegally again.

North Korea last year allowed Russian visitors to enter the country for the first time since the war.

Two tour companies,

One headquartered in Spain and the other with connections in China announced on Thursday that they had received word that international tourists.

On its website, the tour company Young Pioneer Tours stated that the special economic zone (SEZ) that borders China and Russia was accessible “effective from today.”

“In line with our partners and contacts, the plan is to open immediately for both Chinese and all other foreign guests.

Most tourists  enter the country by plane or train from China to North Korea.

The rest of the country remains closed to travelers, Beijing-based Koryo Tours said in a statement.

And despite Rason’s reopening, “we do not (yet) have confirmed itineraries and prices for tourists”, the firm said.

It added that it was not clear what kinds of tours Pyongyang would permit and how many people they would allow to enter.

Rason became North Korea’s first SEZ in 1991 and has been a proving ground for new economic policies.

South Koreans, with whom Pyongyang is still technically at war, are also prohibited from entering without official permission. China is a major ally and source of financial support for North Korea’s diplomatically isolated, UN-sanctioned government. In August, reports indicated Pyongyang was getting ready to resume tourism in the northeastern city of Samjiyon.

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