North Korea to restart international tourism in Samjiyon

After a long COVID shutdown, North Korea has announced plans to restart international tourism in its northeastern city of Samjiyon from December 2024.

There are also plans of expanding to other parts of the country, according to tour companies.

This announcement comes after a prolonged hiatus in international tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has kept North Korea largely closed to foreign visitors since early 2020.

Koryo Tours, a company with over 30 years of experience operating in North Korea, seems happy about this.

The operator, headquartered in Shenyang, China, also confirmed that tourists will be able to visit Samjiyon by the end of 2024.

The city, located near the Chinese border, has been highlighted by North Korea as a showcase of its "socialist utopia," featuring new apartments, hotels, a ski resort, and various cultural and commercial facilities.

International flights to and from North Korea only resumed last year. In February 2023, a small group of Russian tourists visited for a private tour, coinciding with strengthened ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, had made a rare trip to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin in September 2022, followed by Putin’s visit to North Korea in June 2023.

The Russian tour group included individuals from across Russia, reflecting the broad interest in visiting North Korea.