North Korea to partially reopen tourism after nearly 5 years

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North Korea will be partially resuming international tourism this year after nearly half a decade, according to tourist operators. 

The Beijing-based tourism agency, Koryo Tours, which specializes in tourism to North Korea, announced Thursday that tourism to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will resume in December of this year. 

Tours will only be organized for the North Korean city of Samjiyon but the reopening may be extended to other locations, Koryo Tours said. 

A photo taken on September 13, 2019, shows a general view of North Korea's northern city of Samjiyon (ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

"Having waited for over 4 years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited for the opening of North Korean tourism once again," the agency said in a press release. 

The agency said Samjiyon was chosen because it had recently been developed as a tourist destination. It previously visited in 2018 when filming the British documentary series "Michael Palin in North Korea."  

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Koryo Tours said its North Korean partners had informed the agency that itinerary and dates will be announced in the coming weeks. 

"Once we have finalized dates and itineraries, they will be available for booking our website," the company said. 

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (2nd-R) listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) during their meeting in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024. Putin enjoyed a red carpet welcome, a military ceremony and an embrace from North Korea's Kim Jong Un during a state visit to Pyongyang where they both pledged to forge closer ties.  ((Photo by KRISTINA KORMILITSYNA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images))

The Hermit Kingdom closed its borders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, banning almost all outsiders from entering the country for business, travel, or non-vital diplomatic relations. The country only partially started to re-open its borders last year. 

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The country has struggled to open itself fully since the pandemic, when the regime could not field the necessary resources and infrastructure to effectively combat the outbreak within its borders.

Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.