North Korea’s borders are finally re-opening to tourists this week following half a decade of closure since the Covid-19 pandemic. The last time international visitors were able to access the totalitarian dictatorship in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula was back in 2020.
It is the port city of Rason on the East Sea that is inviting guests as part of a five-day itinerary organised by Koryo Tours, a firm that has been operating in the Democratic People’s Republic since 1993. While four-night, five-night and seven-night “sample tours” are currently showing on Koryo’s website, the new tour has been advertised differently.
Mountains, seal-spotting and taekwondo
It promises to take visitors into the heart of what is a Special Economic Zone, where trials of a more open and capitalist approach to economic and social policy have taken place, including North Korea’s very first mobile network and card payment system.
Experiences supposedly on offer include setting foot into Korea’s sacred mountain culture with a hike on Mount Shahyang, seaside walks and a seal-spotting boat trip, a trip to the Rason School Uniform Factory, and Taekwondo lessons. The tour is also intended to “celebrate one of the biggest holidays, Kim Jong Il’s Birthday.”
However, would-be tourists to North Korea should be aware that at the time of writing, on the day the tour was due to begin, the Koryo website still had not confirmed that it would take place or that the itinerary would be as described. Prior to setting out, tourists are required to attend a pre-tour briefing that covers regulations, etiquette, safety, and practicalities for travel in North Korea. If tours do go ahead, they will be accompanied by government escorts and are unlikely to offer any freedom to go “off-piste.”
Opening eyes and minds?
Nonetheless, Koryo Tours’ General Manager and Tour Leader Simon Cockerell, speaking to The Independent in 2024, highlighted the positives that tourism can bring both to guests and hosts, noting that visitors help to “open eyes and open minds, and these are things that should be promoted”.
In terms of official travel advice, the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) is clear that it discourages “all but essential travel to North Korea”. This could mean that travellers who decide to try out the trip anyway will be unable to claim on insurance policies should something go wrong. In addition, many foreign missions and embassies remain shuttered, meaning help on the ground could be limited.
