In a notable development, North Korea is set to welcome a group of tourists from Russia, marking the first known instance of foreign tourists visiting the country since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. The special arrangement has been facilitated through a Vladivostok-based agency and follows discussions between the governor of Russia’s Primorsky Krai region and North Korean officials during a visit to Pyongyang in December.
North Korea implemented stringent border controls at the onset of the pandemic, making it one of the countries with the most robust anti-pandemic measures. The upcoming four-day tour, scheduled to commence on February 9, is expected to include visits to Pyongyang and a ski resort, as outlined in the online itinerary.
The tour’s announcement has garnered attention as a potential positive step forward, given North Korea’s prolonged closure to foreign visitors. Simon Cockerell, the general manager at Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based tour operator not involved in this specific trip, confirmed that his partners in North Korea have verified the Russian visit under special circumstances.
“It is a good sign, but I would hesitate to say it necessarily will lead to a broader opening due to the special circumstances for this one trip,” remarked Cockerell. “But given that no tourists have been for four-plus years, any tourism trip can be viewed as a positive step forward.”
The trip’s initiation follows a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September, during which they pledged enhanced cooperation across economic, political, and military fronts despite facing international sanctions.
Tourism has been relatively unaffected by U.N. Security Council resolutions that restrict business activities with North Korea due to its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. In the years preceding the pandemic, North Korea experienced a surge in Chinese tourists, potentially contributing up to $175 million in additional revenue in 2019, according to estimates by Seoul-based NK News.
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