When will North Korea open for tourism? The short answer is that there is no definite answer, but things have been moving in a positive direction, with major movements throughout 2024, especially within recent months.
It is from these statements as well as frequent meetings with our North Korean partners that we now feel we have more of an inkling when things might potentially change.
What has been the North Korean policy on reopening?
North Korea was the first country to close their borders to all tourism and travel on 22 January 2020 and, as we expected, will be the last country to fully reopen.
Currently the North Korean borders are considered to be opened now, but not a complete reopen with selective foreign groups visiting for sporting events, as well as cultural, education and political delegations. This includes senior Russian figures, such as Putin and Lavrov.
Another key element here is that North Koreans themselves that leave the country can once again do so without the need for quarantine on their return.
When will North Korea open? The current policy.
In February 2024 the first group of Russian tourists were allowed to visit North Korea, and a few more groups have since entered the country. Many of those in the industry felt that aside from politics, this was achieved to be both a tester on the market, as well as on the tourism infrastructure of the DPR Korea.
By all accounts a few key points can be garnered. Firstly, unlike during previous closures the overall food security level, as well as the quality of tourist infrastructure are in a reliable state.
Secondly, while Russian group tours have gone very well, they have not reached the numbers North Korea were hoping for. These factors both point positively for western tourists being allowed back into the country sooner rather than later.
Recent comments by the North Korean leadership
On 15 July 2024, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other ministers in the country made a number of statements regarding tourism, not all of which had a clear meaning. Chief among these was that North Korea wished to revitalise international tourism through attracting tourists from “friendly nations”.
This has been understood by some to mean the shutting out of western guests, but this is not necessarily the case, with some context needing to be taken into account.
This announcement was made at a new resort near Mt Paektu quite close to the border with China. Whilst Russian guests are already visiting the DPRK, the Chinese tourists are not. Therefore, this can be seen more as being directly aimed at Chinese leaders, rather than as a rebuttal to western guests.
It should also be noted that Kim Jong Un stated that the new tourism resort in Wonsan was to be opened by May 2025. While this resort is assumed to be mostly aimed at Russian and Chinese tourists, it does still make the statement that the leadership of the DPRK wants tourism to return as a whole.
Why is the border between China and North Korea still closed?
North Korea has generally been held responsible for keeping their border closed from China. However, many within the industry on and off the record have opined that this is actually China keeping the border closed to tourism.
Part of the direct evidence of this is the simple fact that Russians are allowed in, as well as recently the visit by UN Food and Agriculture Organisation led by Qu Dongyu to the DPRK. This may have, in part at least, been related to confirming if the food situation is safe and hygienic to allow Chinese visitors back into the country. Prior to the pandemic, Chinese tourist numbers were estimated to be around 300,000 annually.
From what we can gather and what from what our contacts are saying, the China – North Korea border reopening merely needs little more than a signature. Much like when YPT first opened the Tumen border for western tourists back in 2012. With this in mind the border will likely not just open very quickly, but without much, or any prior warning.
What if China does not reopen their borders to tourism?
With the recent statements from the government of the DPRK, as well as other movements, it is clear that North Korea wishes to completely reopen to tourism sooner rather than later, regardless of what happens with the Chinese border.
With this in mind we should remember that tourists can enter the country currently through the Russian border, as well as via flights from Vladivostok. Non-Russians cannot currently take this route, but when it comes to travel things can and do change.
It should also be remembered that it is not just Russia and China that North Korea have flown to. Previously there have been routes to places such as Malaysia and Kuwait for example. While the former of those two is unlikely to reemerge, there are other options. One of these is Macao, where it has been reported that flights may resume as early as August.
If North Korea is not ‘open’ why do you have group tours on your website?
We plan our North Korean group tours two years in advance, with them largely mirroring what trips we had pre-pandemic. These group tours are open and ready to resume as soon as North Korea reopens.
While to some this might seem like semantics, we are one of the few travel companies that can actually say this. We not only kept many of our staff in China during the pandemic, but have reopened our China based office, hired new staff, and have frequent meetings directly with our North Korean partners in Beijing, Dandong and Yanji for updates and discussions, not just the odd long-distance email.
We have done this for many reasons, most importantly due to the complexities of doing business in the DPRK and so that we are ready to deal with them.
YPT have expanded exponentially, but we have done this while still remaining the foremost experts on the DPRK, as well as the leading operator. This means that while we do not make regular statements to appear important, we instead make ones that factual and more importantly relevant.
When will North Korea reopen to tourism?
Essentially, we are at a stage where the country could reopen imminently and will most likely open at least to some degree this year, dependent on permissions being given.
Most importantly though is that from the statements made by both the North Koreans, as well as those within the tourism industry – everyone wants the country to reopen.
The moment the borders reopen, we are ready to take you back. Whether you are a seasoned veteran of the country or a first-time traveller, we encourage you to take a look at our upcoming tour schedule for an idea of what we have in store for when we can all welcome in a new era of North Korean tourism together.
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