Kim Jong Un’s hermit kingdom will lower its drawbridge again.
North Korea will allow visitors to enter at least part of the country starting in December after the reclusive state closed its doors to the outside world for nearly five years due to strict restrictions to combat Covid-19.
Tourism in the northeastern city of Samjiyon — and possibly the rest of the country — will resume by the end of this year, tourism companies revealed this week.
“After waiting more than four years to announce this, Koryo Tours is thrilled to open tourism to North Korea again,” the Beijing-based company said on its website.
Another travel agency, KTG Tours, also announced this week that tourists can visit Samjiyon this winter.
“Exact dates to be confirmed.” The company wrote on Facebook:“So far Samjiyon has been officially confirmed to open but we believe Pyongyang and other places will open their doors as well!!!”
North Korea’s leaders have been building what they call a “socialist utopia” in Samjiyon, a city near the Chinese border. The area is supposed to be a “model of a highly urbanized mountain city” with apartments, hotels, ski resorts and other establishments, such as medical and cultural institutions.
While international flights to and from the hermit kingdom run by dictator Kim Jong Un resumed last year, and a small group of Russian tourists got a private tour in February, the Asian country’s borders have been closed since 2020.
Open borders still exclude American citizens.
The U.S. State Department said all U.S. passports are invalid for travel to, out of, or through North Korea unless special permission is obtained from the Secretary of State.
The US agency warned that Americans face a high risk of arrest and long-term detention in North Korea.
Former President Donald Trump shook hands with Kim during a historic meeting in 2019 in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.
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