North Korea has once again halted tourist visits, just weeks after welcoming its first Western visitors in five years.
The country initially shut its borders in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and began easing restrictions by mid-2023. While it reopened to Russian tourists in 2024, Western visitors were only permitted entry last month to Rason, a special economic zone in the east.
However, several tour operators have now announced that all trips to North Korea are suspended until further notice, with no official explanation from Pyongyang. China-based KTG Tours, which specializes in North Korean travel, shared on Facebook: “Just received news from our Korean partners that Rason is closed to everyone. We will keep you posted.” Other agencies, including Young Pioneer Tours and Koryo Tours, have also confirmed the cancellations.
Young Pioneer Tours advised those planning trips in April and May to hold off on booking flights until more details emerge.
On February 20, Western tourists arrived in Rason as part of a trial to explore new financial policies. However, their movements were more restricted than pre-pandemic visits, with limited opportunities to interact with locals or explore freely. Phone signals and internet access remained unavailable. A tour leader speculated that Rason was chosen because it is relatively isolated and easier to monitor.
Meanwhile, Koryo Tours had recently started accepting international applications for the Pyongyang Marathon, set for April 6, but it is now uncertain whether these can proceed.
Before the pandemic, North Korea hosted around 350,000 foreign tourists in 2019, with Chinese visitors accounting for 90% of the total, according to media reports.
