“We have received confirmation from our local partner that tourism to Samjiyon and possibly the rest of the country will officially resume in December 2024,” Beijing-based Koryo Tours said on its website.
Samjiyon, near North Korea’s northern border with China, is the gateway to Mount Paektu, where official sources say late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was born. His son and successor, Kim Jong Un, has invested huge sums in developing the area, including new apartments, hotels and a ski resort.
KTG Tours, also based in China, wrote on its Facebook page that it had learned that tourists would be able to visit Samjiyon “this winter.”
North Korea closed its borders in early 2020 to protect itself from COVID-19, and even barred its citizens from entering for years. But in the second half of 2023, signs of reopening began to appear, with flights resuming. This has allowed North Koreans stranded abroad to finally return home.
Before the pandemic, international tourism to the country was very limited, with around 5,000 Westerners visiting the country each year, according to tour operators.
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