Very shy, limited and with restrictions, but North Korea begins to open to foreign tourism five years after have sealed its borders to protect yourself from the propagation of COVID-19. The hermetic nation led by Kim Jong-un is about to be somewhat less hermetic, both for travelers from China and Western. Of course, at least for the moment and despite the fact that the country is building His own ‘Benidorm’ In Wonsan, the tours will focus on a specific (and controlled) area: Rason.
No visits to Pyongyang.
Border closure. Five years ago, even in the initial bars of the Covid-19 Pandemia, North Korea took A radical decision: At the end of January 2020, the view of how the virus spread for the Chinese neighbor, the authorities decided to close foreign tourists.
The measure made sense if one takes into account that in 2019, tens of thousands of travelers arrived from the Asian giant had visited North Korea. Some sources speak of 350,000. Others point out that the country received in total 300,000 tourists foreigners, of which 90% were Chinese.
One (long) temporary measure. The idea was that the borders remained “temporarily” as “preventive measure against coronavirus.” Or so He announced it In January 2022 Young Pioneer Tours, an agency that was dedicated to organizing trips to the country of Kimg Jong-un. What was not clarified was what exactly “temporary” meant, an uncertain horizon that extended one, two, three … until five yearswhich is what has ended up lasting the closure.
The government already made A first gesture In 2024, allowing Russian tourist delegations, which were already pointed out as The first foreign travelers who accessed the country from the pandemic; But now North Korean authorities have decided to go one step further. Coinciding almost with the fifth anniversary of the closing of the borders, the country has allowed The passage of several travel companies and a very small group of visitors.
What exactly? The Straits Times Explain that at the beginning of February the North Korean authorities allowed the country of a select group of travel operators. Select and Very small. Experience served to tote the land for the really important date: tourism reopening February 20although the latter has also been done in a limited way.
Among the operators who stepped on North Korean soil after years of border closure was the Australian Rowan Beard, of the Pioneer Tours agency, based in Beijing. His business was expected to take A dozen tourists To the country, a figure similar to the one that was handled by another of the selected operators, Koryo Tours, who when Corea’s apartment already had a group of 15 people eager to walk around the country.
And who have visited it? After the first trip of recognition and “familiarization”, that of Beard, foreign tourists have arrived, including people from Singapore, Australia, Germany or Romania, according to Precise The country. Other media They holdthat among visitors there are also citizens of the United Kingdom and Jamaica. The CNN even assures That among the “pioneers” is an American, Justin Martell, who would have mocked the prohibition of his country after becoming a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis, a Caribbean nation.
Looking at China. After A first approach To Russia, the nation of Kim Jong-un already looks at its great tourism market: China. Kyodo News agency I advanced A few days ago the country prepares to resume tourist trips of the Asian giant, which until the closing of borders moved a flow of tens of thousands of travelers a year. The perspective of knowing North Korea may be more or less appealing from countries such as Spain, where the government even advised The visitbut it has its market.
Packages for $ 670. Beard remember that when his agency announced the trips the company’s email “saturated” consultations. And that the experience requires scratching the pocket: Young Pioneer Tours, one of the few authorized, offers a five -day and four night package for $ 670. Another option is to pay $ 720 With several nights in Yanji, China.
“For many people it is a very mysterious country,” Beard comments: “Technically there is no Internet or is limited. So life there works in a similar way to what we had in the 1980s.” Those who have already been in the country after reopening ensure that the rules when taking photos have relaxed, which does not mean that visitors can film what they want. “They only scold me once,” Recognize the CNN Gerg Vaczi, by Korko Tours, “and was to film a guide.”
Opening, but with quotes. North Korea’s policy change has been important, but also limited. That he has decided to allow the passage of tourists again does not mean that they will move freely through the country or move to the capital, Pyongyang, supposedly closed For any tourist who Do not come from Russia. Visitors must settle at least for the moment with Rasona special economic zone established in the early 90s and presents certain important peculiarities.
A special destination. To begin its location, it is strategic, northwest of the country, near the borders of China and Russia. It also does not have an international airport, with what the only way to arrive is to cross the limit with China under the control of the Border guards. The area also has peculiar administrative conditions and has been raised, Precise ABC News, as a kind of evidence field to test new economic policies.
The idea It is that tourists who can reach drops visit spaces such as a factory, an aquaculture farm, Schoolsor have the experience of open an account Banking in the Golden Triangle Bank. Rason is also in a border and coastal area. Beard Recognize In any case that the area presents certain “logistics limitations”, such as the number of hotel places, guides and buses.
And why now? The other big question. It is estimated that before the pandemic the country received hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists generated a flow of up to 175 million dollars in extra income, according to NK News estimates. The weight of Western visitors would also be very small, from some 5,000 travelers a year. In 2017, after what happened with one of its tourists, Otto WarmbierUSA He chose to prohibit to its citizens travel to the Asian country.
With the shy reopening of foreign tourism, the country could be looking for a way to get currencies, Hazel Smith points outprofessor at the SOAS University in London and who has lived in Korea. “Not only for oil, but also for basic technology such as irrigation or health services.”
Images | Roman Harak (Flickr), Uri Tours (Flickr) and Micha Brändli (UNSPLASH)
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