North Korea opens up to tourists after five years with tours to little-known port city

Five-day itineraries of the northern city include visits to a sea cucumber farm and school uniform factory. North Korea is set to reopen to tourists this week with the first organised tour of the country for international visitors since 2020. North Korea’s borders have been closed since the government imposed COVID-19 border restrictions five years ago. In August 2024, North Korea said it hoped to send in the first Western tourists by the end of the year.

Now, travellers are invited to visit Rason, one of the state’s lesser-seen destinations, for the country’s late leader – Kim Jong Il’s – birthday celebrations. The Beijing-based tour operator said: “Koryo Tours is happy to announce the first trip back to North Korea since the borders closed in January 2020. “This tour will take you to the must-see sites in Rason, North Korea's Special Economic Zone. Plus, you will travel to North Korea to celebrate one of the biggest holidays, Kim Jong Il's Birthday.”.

Rason is a Special Economic Zone that sits close to both the Chinese and Russian borders in the far northeast. Here, new economic and social policies including the first mobile phone network and card payment system in the country were tested, and capitalism is promoted. The first trip to depart for Rason is a “Return of North Korean Tourism Tour” for 20 tourists on 12 February. In honour of the country’s late leader, the tour from Yanji, China to the DPRK border starts from €705 (£590) per person and spends four nights in Rason.

Taekwondo demonstrations, seaside walks at Hae’an Park and the Rajin Fine Art Gallery are among itinerary inclusions. Before they leave Yanji for the border, tourists will attend a pre-tour briefing that covers regulations, etiquette, safety, and practicalities for travel in North Korea and up to three local guides will travel with the group. ‘Classic’, ‘speciality’ and ‘budget’ North Korea tours are scheduled to run from February to April 2025.

According to Koryo Tours, the trips are “not yet confirmed” as it awaits “further information on the border opening date” from the Chinese authorities, with Pyongyang itineraries still unavailable. The Foreign Office (FCDO) currently advise British citizens “against all but essential travel to North Korea” and the British Embassy in Pyongyang remains closed. It says: “The North Korean authorities have previously detained foreign nationals for allegedly violating local laws and have denied them access to support from their governments.”.