SEOUL: A travel agency has opened bookings for a tour to North Korea’s Rason to mark the late leader Kim Jong Il’s birthday, offering foreign tourists a rare chance to visit the reclusive state since its 2020 border closure.
Beijing-based Koryo Tours said the February trip would be the “first back to North Korea since the borders closed in January 2020,” though it remains unconfirmed as they await clearance from Chinese authorities.
The itinerary includes visits to factories, schools, and even a bank where tourists can open North Korean accounts. The tour coincides with the February 16 Day of the Shining Star, one of the North’s biggest holidays, which features mass celebrations and military parades.
Another agency, Young Pioneer Tours, also announced Rason tour packages. Rason, North Korea’s first special economic zone since 1991, serves as a testing ground for economic policies and has a separate visa regime from the rest of the country.
Before the pandemic, about 5,000 Western tourists visited North Korea annually, though Americans have been banned since 2017 following the imprisonment and death of Otto Warmbier.
While Pyongyang has reopened borders for trade and official delegations, Chinese tourists—the largest pre-pandemic visitor group—have yet to return. Analysts suggest Beijing is subtly pressuring North Korea over its deepening ties with Moscow, including arms sales and troop deployments to aid Russia in Ukraine.
Despite China’s official silence, Lee Dong-gyu of the Asan Institute said Beijing may be signaling dissatisfaction through measures like restricting tourism. – AFP
