KR North Korea to open border for foreign tourists in December, tour operators say

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By Ju-min Park
August 14, 20246:44 AM CDT Updated 4 hours ago

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the Samjiyon City construction project in North Korea in this picture released on July 14, 2024. KCNA via REUTERS


Foreign tourists take photos of the city skyline from the viewing deck at Juche Tower in Pyongyang, North Korea, September 11, 2018. Picture taken September 11, 2018. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui


North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the construction of the "Wonsan-Kalma shore Tourist Zone" in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang May 25, 2018. KCNA/via REUTERS


North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the Samjiyon City construction project in North Korea in this picture released on July 14, 2024. KCNA via REUTERS

SEOUL, Aug 14 (Reuters) - North Korea will resume international tourism to its northeastern city of Samjiyon in December, and possibly the rest of the country, tour companies said on Wednesday.
The move is a sign that the reclusive country is readying to reopen borders to bigger groups of foreign tourists after years of strict COVID border controls.
"We have received confirmation from our local partner that tourism to Samjiyon and likely the rest of the country will officially resume in December 2024," the Beijing-based Koryo Tours said on its website.

International flights in and out of North Korea resumed last year and a small group of Russian tourists flew to North Korea for a private tour in February. Top foreign officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, have been visiting the country.
But North Korea has not been fully open to international tourists since 2020.
"Having waited for over four years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited for the opening of North Korean tourism once again," the firm said, adding its local partner would confirm itineraries and dates in coming weeks.

North Korea has been building what it called a "socialist utopia"in Samjiyon, a city near the Chinese border, and "a model of highly-civilised mountain city" with new apartments, hotels, a ski resort and commercial, cultural and medical facilities.
Leader Kim Jong Un in July sacked or demoted some senior officials for their "irresponsible" handling of his flagship Samjiyon project.
Another travel agency, KTG Tours, also announced that tourists would be able to go to Samjiyon from this winter.

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

Steal? You can't steal North Korea, everything here belongs to the people!

Tell that to Otto.

 

[Dalkgalbi]

Samjiyon was/is their big ski resort town. You might be wondering who on earth would go to North Korea for a ski trip, it is the same people who would go to a casino in North Korea: Chinese people. That’s what they mean by “foreign tourists”, hordes for Chinese wanting to gamble.

 

[Mao Hao Hao]

I suppose the other appeal is that it's part of the tiny percentage of countries around now that isn't full of stabby immigrants, so it's safer in that aspect I suppose.

 

[Curzon Dax-sama]

Cool news. I actually plan to visit the place one day.

 

[invisibult plus+]

The problem with the North Koreans that they are utterly incapable of making a good cup of coffee, which defeats the whole purpose of having a café and tourists.

What about chicory coffee?

 

[Am I Very Wrong]

straight out of the 80's

 

[Badungus Kabungus]

What about chicory coffee?

Not the same, and not sure if they even have that. They better at least have tea.

 

[invisibult plus+]

Not the same, and not sure if they even have that. They better at least have tea.

That’s why I asked. It grows practically everywhere, even China has it. They do have their own green tea.

 

[Tiny Chinaman]

Im going with the hope of enlarging my poster collection.

 

[Hitman One]

I've been, not as a tourist but I got to do some touristy stuff. A fascinating country, naturally very beautiful, but not somewhere I'd want to go again.

 

[Beautiful Border]

have you considered going abroad and not doing crimes?

real ugly american hours

The guy stole a poster (allegedly, it's not even confirmed he did that) and he was sentenced to 15 years in a forced labour camp. "My house, my rules", sure, but if your house is that crazy I'm not visiting.

 

[⠠⠠⠅⠑⠋⠋⠁⠇⠎ ⠠⠠⠊⠎ ⠠⠠⠁ ⠠⠠⠋⠁⠛]

The guy stole a poster (allegedly, it's not even confirmed he did that) and he was sentenced to 15 years in a forced labour camp. "My house, my rules", sure, but if your house is that crazy I'm not visiting.

lol, shades of american trash complaining about Michael Fay getting a mere fraction of his just desserts

 

[KiwiFuzz2]

The water park looks fun and all and it's pretty cool that Kim Jong Un thought it up and built it singlehandedly but I can't help but wonder what the annual death toll is there.

I see zero lifeguards and a lot of places where a kid could go down and not come back up. Also, the yellow floaties look like they could go flying off the slides.

Kim Jong Un might be a fantastic water park engineer but I don't think his safety creds are that great.

 

[Beautiful Border]

lol, shades of american trash complaining about Michael Fay getting a mere fraction of his just desserts

That Michael Fay guy did way worse than steal a poster and his punishment was also way less severe. Also I'm not American, half the forum hates me for making fun of America whenever they have another mass shooting lol

 

[Necrosan]

So can I expect the people to blink "FUCKING HELP ME" in morse code?

 

[JosephStalin]

No fucking way, Ike. No fucking way, not even if I could three-hole some P'yongyang traffic girls.

Want to have a fun Korean trip? It's the South for this kid, already spent 39 months there.

 

[⠠⠠⠅⠑⠋⠋⠁⠇⠎ ⠠⠠⠊⠎ ⠠⠠⠁ ⠠⠠⠋⠁⠛]

That Michael Fay guy did way worse than steal a poster and his punishment was also way less severe. Also I'm not American, half the forum hates me for making fun of America whenever they have another mass shooting lol

Well yes, but Singapore is a pussy faggot country with a liberal judicial system. My apologies for the insult.

 

[CIS White Droid]

Why would anyone want to go to North Korea? It's full of North Koreans for god's sake!

 

[PS1gamenwatch]

have you considered going abroad and not doing crimes?

real ugly american hours

The guy stole a poster (allegedly, it's not even confirmed he did that) and he was sentenced to 15 years in a forced labour camp. "My house, my rules", sure, but if your house is that crazy I'm not visiting.

lol, shades of american trash complaining about Michael Fay getting a mere fraction of his just desserts

That Michael Fay guy did way worse than steal a poster and his punishment was also way less severe. Also I'm not American, half the forum hates me for making fun of America whenever they have another mass shooting lol

Well yes, but Singapore is a pussy faggot country with a liberal judicial system. My apologies for the insult.

Michael Fay should count his blessings as he got off lightly, the Filipina maid got a raw deal for accusations of a murder and they executed her while the Philippines did their hardest to get her a fair trial or overturn the execution

So any American complaining about Michael Fay, look at Flor Contemplacion. It soured Philippine-Singapore relations for years

 

[Apustajan apustaja]

I sometimes wish I lived there. Having to pretend that the supreme leader is supernatural would be a nice change from having to pretend men are women and niggers are people.