North Korea welcomes first foreign tourists in years

A group of Russian citizens landed in Pyongyang, apparently the first foreign tourists to visit North Korea since Covid-19.

The plane carrying the group of tourists departed from the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok and landed at the airport in the North Korean capital Pyongyang today, according to information from the tour operator Vostok Intur.

The group of tourists planned to visit scenic spots in Pyongyang before going skiing. Vostok Intur said this was a pilot tour, which if successful would pave the way for Russian tourists to continue visiting North Korea in the future.

TASS news agency reported in January that a group of Russian tourists from the Far East would travel to North Korea for skiing in the mountains, adding that the trip was arranged by local Russian officials and the North Korean government .

Russian tourists take photos at the airport in Vladivostok before heading to North Korea on February 9. Photo: AP

Pyongyang has not commented on the information.

The South Korean government said it has not received any information about North Korea welcoming foreign visitors since the Covid-19 pandemic.

North Korea is one of the Asian countries that has imposed some of the strictest Covid-19 control measures and has yet to fully open up to international tourists.

The news surprised many observers, who had expected Chinese citizens to be the first foreign tourists to visit North Korea after the pandemic. China was the main customer for North Korea’s tourism industry, accounting for about 90% of foreign visitors to the country before the Covid-19 outbreak.

Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in late February 2022, Pyongyang has strengthened its close ties with Moscow. North Korea has repeatedly publicly supported Russia in statements and at the United Nations, stressing that the "hegemonic and arbitrary policies" of the US and its Western allies were the cause of the war.

During a visit to Russia in September 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Vladimir Putin pledged deeper cooperation on economic, political and military fronts.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later advised Russians to choose North Korea as a tourist destination, as Western sanctions make it difficult for Russian citizens to obtain visas to the US and many European countries.

Pham Giang (According to AP )

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