North Korea halts foreign tourism weeks after reopening to Western visitors

HONG KONG — North Korea has once again closed its borders, suspending foreign tourism just weeks after the secretive state welcomed its first Western visitors in five years.

North Korea sealed its borders in early 2020 at the start of the Covid pandemic, gradually lifting restrictions starting in mid-2023.

The first tourists, a group from Russia, were allowed into the country in February 2024, but the first international visitors from other countries including Britain, Canada, France and Germany only arrived in North Korea for the first time last month.

The visit by the Western group was limited to the remote northeastern city of Rason, which the North Korean government has designated a special economic zone. During the trip, they visited factories, shops and statues of late North Korean leaders.

Unlike the Russians, they were not allowed to visit Pyongyang, the capital.

Tour operators said Wednesday that travel to North Korea was no longer possible until further notice. It was unclear why North Korea had closed again to foreign visitors and how long the suspension would last.

“We have been informed that Rason is temporarily CLOSED,” Koryo Tours, a tour operator based in Beijing, said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s an unprecedented situation.”

Other travel agencies that organize North Korea trips made similar announcements.

“We recommend that those planning tours in April and May refrain from booking flights until we have more information,” China-based Young Pioneer Tours said in a Facebook post, adding that refunds are available for tours that are canceled due to the abrupt change.