A delegation of Russian tourists is expected to be the first known visitors allowed into North Korea since anti-pandemic border lockdowns began in early 2020.
North Korea implemented some of the world’s tightest border controls during the spread of COVID-19 and has yet to fully reopen to foreigners.
The trip, offered by a Vladivostok-based agency, was planned when the governor of Russia’s far eastern territory of Primorsky Krai, which borders North Korea, visited Pyongyang for discussions in December, the regional government said in a Telegram post this week.
According to the web itinerary, the four-day excursion will begin on February 9 and will include stops in Pyongyang and a ski resort.
Simon Cockerell, general manager of Beijing-based Koryo Tours, which is not engaged in the trip, told media that his North Korean counterparts had verified the Russian visit is taking place under special circumstances.
“It is a good sign, but I would hesitate to say it necessarily will lead to a broader opening due to the special circumstances for this one trip”, he explained.
“But given that no tourists have been for four-plus years, any tourism trip can be viewed as a positive step forward”, he added.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit in eastern Russia in September, promising to strengthen cooperation on economic, political, and military fronts despite international sanctions.
U.N. Security Council resolutions restricting business with North Korea due to its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes have had little impact on tourism.
North Korea saw a spike in Chinese tourists the year before the pandemic began, which may have supplied the cash-strapped regime with up to $175 million in additional money in 2019.
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