North Korea to open its borders for tourism after four years

North Korea has decided to open its borders to foreign tourists in December after the borders were closed down nearly five years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The tourists will be allowed to visit the mountain-clad northern city of Samjiyon in North Korea, confirmed two China-based tourism agencies. 

Taking to their Facebook handle, Shenyang's KTG Tours wrote on Wednesday: “So far just Samjiyon has been officially confirmed but we think that Pyongyang and other places will open too!!!”

Beijing’s Koryo Tour agency has speculated that the visitors might be allowed to tour other parts of the country in December this year. 

The agency also told BBC that the authorities of North Korea have allowed people from all countries to visit apart from South Korea. 

The US, however, does not allow its citizens to visit North Korea due to political tensions between the two countries. 

Samjiyon — whose residents can view North Korea’s largest peak, Mount Paektu which lies at the China-North Korea border — has been undergoing redevelopment in recent years, as per BBC. 

The country had only allowed its citizens to return last year who were locked out due to the border closure in 2020. In early 2024, North Korea had also invited Russian tourists amid friendly relations between the two countries.