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Kim Jong-un, who had closed North Korea for tourists during the pandemic, has imposed certain restrictions on foreign travellers such as using local guides for tours and banning photography at sensitive places
A total of 880 Russian tourists visited North Korea in 2024, which shows how much Pyongyang and Moscow have moved closer to each other since the Ukraine war. (Photo: Getty)
North Korea has opened its doors for international travellers for the first time in five years, in an attempt to bring in much-needed foreign currency to revive its struggling economy.
Country’s leader Kim Jong-un had closed down the borders during Covid-19 pandemic and banned tourists. Although North Korea is now open for Western tourists, Kim wants tourists to follow some rules while touring his country.
What Are The Restrictions On Tourists?
The restrictions that North Korea has typically imposed on foreign travellers — such as requirements that they move with local guides and the banning of photography at sensitive places.
In its bid to boost tourism, North Korea is expected to open a massive tourism site on the east coast in June. According to an expert, the eastern coast site and Pyongyang would be the places where North Korea feels it can easily monitor and control foreign tourists.
According to analysts, the eastern coast site and Pyongyang would be the places where North Korea feels it can easily monitor and control foreign tourists.
Despite its limitations, the nation’s tourism infrastructure is anticipated to be centred in these regulated areas.
Who Have Been North Korea’s Visitors?
According to Associated Press, North Korea accepted 100 Russian tourists in February 2024 — the first foreign nationals to visit the country for sightseeing. That surprised many observers, who thought the first post-pandemic tourists would come from China, North Korea’s biggest trading partner and major ally.
A total of 880 Russian tourists visited North Korea throughout 2024, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said, citing official Russian data.
This shows how much North Korea and Russia have moved closer to each other as reports suggest that North Korea has supplied weapons to Moscow in the Ukraine war.
Notably, Chinese tourists represented about 90% of the total international tourists before the pandemic, as up to 300,000 Chinese tourists have visited North Korea annually in previous years, as per Lee Sangkeun, an expert at the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by South Korea’s intelligence agency, as mentioned by the Associated Press.
What Is The History Of Tourism In North Korea?
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was part of the Soviet Union when it came to tourism during the Cold War.
Most tourists to North Korea from the 1950s to the end of the 80s came from other countries in the Socialist Bloc. One such tourist, from Russia, notably defected to South Korea via the DMZ in the 1980s.
In 1950, National Geographic did a story on North Korea, and Western socialists were known to visit North Korea. The Communist Part of Great Britain ran a travel agency that took people on tours to sanctioned socialist countries.
In 1989 World Festival of Youth and Students welcomed thousands of participants throughout the world, even Belgium, as per Youth Pioneer Tours.
After the collapse of USSR in 1990s, the Cold War ended, walls and governments collapsed, a lot changed in North Korea.
In the mid-1990s, western tourism really kicked in in North Korea. But the real dollar was coming from the West, but from the neighbour, China.
“Whilst the rest of the former Socialist Bloc was mired in upheaval and post-socialist regime changes, China was quietly reforming its own socialist policies. The economic door was open and people were getting rich. North Korea became to the Chinese as Wales is to the English: a quick, cheap holiday destination,” as per Young Pioneer Tours.
Why Is China So Important To North Korea?
The relations between China and North Korea go back to the World War II, when both communist states were established. Many analysts say that North Korea today is more of a liability for China than a valuable ally.
China has often struggled to maintain a balance between North Korea, given it has greatly expanded its missile and nuclear programme since the 2000s, and the US and East Asian allies such as Japan and South Korea.
China and North Korea established formal relations in 1949, emerging as new communist countries in the years following World War II. China supported North Korea in the Korean War (1950-53), and the two countries signed a mutual defence treaty in 1961, China’s only one to date, as per Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
When Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear weapon test in 2006, Beijing called it a “flagrant and brazen” violation of international consensus and responded by supporting UN sanctions. With this, Beijing signalled a shift in tone, from diplomatic support to punishment, that carried through the 2010s and eventually resulted in unilateral sanctions on North Korea’s missile and nuclear testing programme in 2017.
In 2018, after China’s effort to mend ties with North Korea, both Xi Jinping and Kim reiterated a commitment to denuclearisation.
In 2021, the two countries renewed their 60-year-old mutual defence pact for another 20 years. However, in recent years, North Korea has forged deeper military ties with Russia and its war against Ukraine, which has strained relations with China.
With North Korea being one of the poorest and isolated countries in the world, experts say China is keen to keep it economically dependent. Beijing has been Pyongyang’s top trading partner for over two decades, accounting for roughly 98% of North Korea’s official total imports and exports in 2023, as per CFR.
