Previously, Russian tourists had been allowed into the country earlier in 2024. Prior to the closure of its borders, North Korea saw around 350,000 foreign tourists in 2019, the majority of which were Chinese. On the 20th of February 2025, it allowed the first Western tourists into Rason, a city that has been earmarked as the testing zone for new financial policies.
However, the country has now halted the influx of tourists. The Pyongyang Marathon had been accepting international applications for the first time, but it is now unclear whether this process will continue. Many tourism companies in North Korea are warning clients against paying for flights until the situation becomes clearer.
Its status as a tourist destination should not overcome that its still a very strict dictatorship...
But this potential opening of borders does raise the question of whether some places should become holiday destinations. In South Korea, the DMZ (the demilitarised zone between the North and South) is a very popular tourist destination, with tours into the abandoned area where visitors can see tunnels dug by the people desperate to cross back in the South. Whilst it is important to learn about the plight of such struggle and the conflict that happened between the two countries, is the site of so many people’s pain really something people should be adding to their itineraries alongside ‘trying Korean BBQ’ and ‘a night out in Itaewon’?
Similarly, a trip to North Korea should not be taken lightly. Whether the country decides to continue to accept Western tourists or not, its status as a tourist destination should not overcome the fact that it is still a very strict dictatorship. It's not the place to spice up an Instagram feed, nor is it a zoo where life under a harsh regime can be observed like a circus. It's a country filled with real people, people whose travel is strictly prohibited unless given permission - a fact that should not be forgotten.