North Korea to partially reopen for tourism after five years

Two China-based tour operators say tourists will soon be allowed to visit Samjiyon city in the north.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersNorth Korea to reopen for tourism after five yearsGetty ImagesAir Koryo planes are lined up at the airport in Samjiyon, North Korea in this file photoNorth Korea will reopen one city to foreign tourists in December after nearly five years of border closures due to the Covid pandemic, according to tour operators.

At least two China-based operators announced that tourists will soon be allowed to visit the mountainous northern city of Samjiyon.

Reclusive North Korea sealed itself off at the start of the pandemic in early 2020, and started to scale back restrictions only in the middle of last year.

The border closures also cut off imports of essential goods, leading to food shortages that were made worse by international sanctions because of the country's nuclear programme.

"So far just Samjiyon has been officially confirmed but we think that Pyongyang and other places will open too!!!" Shenyang's KTG Tours wrote on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg3wzkx8k8o

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