North Korea stopped tourists to visit, just weeks after the first Western tourists entered the country for the first time in five years.
North Korea was sealed at the beginning of the Coid-19 pandemia in early 2020, and began to increase the restrictions back in mid -2023.
He opened up to Russian visitors in 2024, but only last month was Western tourists permissible to the remote, eastern town of Rason.
However, several tourist companies now say that the trips to the country for vomiting were canceled until further notice. Pyongyang did not give the reason for the sudden stop.
“They just received news from our Korean partners that Rason was closed to everyone. We will let you know,” Chinese KTG Tours, specializing in the North Korean tour, said on Wednesday.
The young pioneering tours and Koryo tours were, among other agencies that announced the suspension.
Those planning tours in April and may need to refrain from booking flights “until we get more information,” said Young Pioneer Tours in a Facebook post.
On February 20, the first Western tourists began to arrive in Rason, a city that intended the north as a special economic zone to participate in new financial policies.
The tour operators said the BBC that visitors’ movements were still limited than before pandemic trips – they had fewer opportunities to wander the streets and talk to the locals.
Telephone signals and Internet access were also not available in the desert state.
One tour leader said he suspected that Rason was chosen because the area was relatively contained and easy to control.
Earlier this week, Koryo Tours said that for the first time in five years he has been accepting international applications for the Pyongyang Marathon. The event is scheduled for April 6, but it is now unclear if they can still be processed.
North Korea recorded about 350,000 foreign tourists in 2019, 90% of which were Chinese, according to media reports.
