North Korea will reopen a city to foreign tourists in December after nearly five years of border closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, tour operators announced.
At least two China-based operators have announced that tourists will soon be allowed to visit the mountainous northern city of Samjiyon, the BBC reports.
North Korea shut down at the start of the pandemic in early 2020, and only began easing restrictions in the middle of last year.
Border closures have also cut off imports of essential goods, leading to food shortages exacerbated by international sanctions over the country’s nuclear program.
Only Samjiyon has been officially confirmed so far, but we think Pyongyang and other places will open as well.
Samjiyon has been undergoing major reconstruction in recent years, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in July unveiling plans to rebuild an airfield, turn a military ski base into a resort and build new railways and hotels for foreign tourists, according to state media.
Kim said at the time that plans to “revitalize international tourism” would target visitors from “friendly” countries.
North Korea will only allow Russian tourists to enter the country from early 2024, amid thawing ties between the two nations.
It was only in August of last year that North Korea allowed citizens stranded in other countries due to border controls to return, one of the last countries to do so.
