North Korea welcomes tourists for the first time in five years

Pack your bags!

Beijing-based travel company Koryo Tours arranged a five-day trip for a group of 13 international tourists.

Those visiting were from the UK, Canada, Greece, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Australia and Italy and crossed by land from China to Rason in the north-east.

While at the border city, they visited shops, schools, factories and the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il - the late grandfather and father of current leader Kim Jong Un.

The general manager of Koryo Tours, Simon Cockerell said: “Since January of 2020, the country has been closed to all international tourists, and we are glad to have finally found an opening in the Rason area, in the far north of North Korea.

“Our first tour has been and gone, and now more tourists on both group and private visits are going in, arranging trips."

Speaking to The Independent last week before the tour, he said: “Everything is guided, the itinerary is all planned in advance by us with our partners there.

“You don't really have to do much thinking for yourself. Thinking for yourself is not hugely encouraged in North Korea anyway."

Experts believe that the move to allow international tourism back to North Korea, is to help increase the country's struggling economy.

North Korea banned tourists and diplomats and harshened border restrictions in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In February of last year, a group of Russian tourists were the first tourists to be allowed to enter the country.

The two nations have become increasingly closer the past few years, with North Korea supplying weapons to Russia during the war with Ukraine.