North Korea opens borders to tourists for first time since pandemic

North Korea is opening its borders to tourists for the first time since the pandemic.

The country closed its borders in January 2020. But now, a limited number of tour operators are being welcomed back into the country’s Rason Special Economic Zone.

Rason, established in 1991 to attract foreign investment, was never as popular a destination as the capital Pyongyang, which remains closed to all but Russian tourists.

Among the first is Australian tour manager Rowan Beard. He told the Straits Times that his arrival at border control was met with surprise and excitement.

“At first, the North Korean immigration official was like, ‘You Russian?’ and I replied, ‘No, I’m Australian’ and handed him my passport,” Mr Beard of the Young Pioneer Tours said. The officer quickly alerted colleagues, who gathered around to examine his passport.

Beard is part of a small group of tour operators invited to visit Rason ahead of its reopening to all tourists on February 20.

His company, along with Koryo Tours from Beijing, is running the first trips into North Korea, leading groups of around 15 visitors each.

The tours include visits to a local brewery, a foreign language school, a taekwondo academy, and a site where the North Korean, Chinese and Russian borders intersect.

Some restrictions remain in place though. Local markets are closed to tourists and there are strict mask-wearing and temperature-checking procedures at various locations.

Before the pandemic, Chinese visitors accounted for about 90% of all foreign arrivals, with 350,000 entering in 2019 alone, reported The Straits Times.

Other visitors come from Australia, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. South Koreans are still barred from entry.

Mr Beard said demand for the first tours was overwhelming. “In the first five minutes, our inbox started getting smashed with all the inquiries coming in,” he said.

“We were being ‘attacked’ from all angles from people wanting more details and to book and to be one of the first to return.”

Dr Yee Ji Sun, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said North Korea’s reopening could be part of an effort to reshape its international image.

“The return of tourists could help reshape North Korea’s reputation, shifting it from a ‘dangerous country’ in the eyes of the international community to a potentially ‘safe’ travel destination,” she said.