The borders to North Korea were tight for almost five years. But soon the most closed country in the world is to be accessible to western visitors again: the first tour operators are planning tours.
Three nights in Rason, in the far northeast of the country, plus two nights before and after in Beijing, including domestic flights – for around 1,300 euros per person. This is the price tag for a vacation in the realm of rulers Kim Jong Un. On February 18, the first trip was to start – after almost five years of break.
At Koryo Tours and other comparable tour operators who offer trips to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the telephones run hot. The demand is actually great.
There are no really many other communication options between the contact people in North Korea and China, where most of the tour providers are sitting. “North Korea is and remains a special challenge,” reports Koryo Tours Managing Director Simon Cockerell in an interview with the ARD studio Tokyo.
Nobody can move freely
He and his team have been offering trips to North Korea for more than 20 years. There has never been a break as long as since the outbreak of corona pandemic. And even with the opening now announced, there are still many, especially logistical questions.
If at all, tourists are only allowed to travel to the Rason border area in the border triangle between North Korea, Russia and China. But this can only be achieved through the land path – and the Chinese side of the border is currently not occupied. Nobody can say exactly when and whether it opens.
How many people are allowed to enter is also unclear. Apparently it is clear: the rest of the country, including the capital Pyongyang, remains closed, and nobody can move freely anyway.
North Korea's dictator Kim Jong and Inspected Newly Builded Tourism Plants in Wonsan.
Vacation in socialist Vicinals
The area in the northeast of the country is still worth seeing, Cockerell claimed. He speaks of a landscape “really nice corner”. Rason is known for the beauty of his coast.
There are many farms and factories that can be visited – shoe factories, pocket factories, breweries, a large casino, countless hotels and the first and only legal market for tourists. So a kind of socialist advantage. Coincidentally, no tourist gets lost here.
Especially people who would have set themselves the goal of visiting every country in the world could hardly wait to set their foot to North Korea. “Many only lack this one country on their list,” says Cockerell, who also offers travel to other “complicated” countries such as Turkmenistan with his agency.
Indication of gradual opening?
His customers would consciously choose a stay in a state in which the freedoms are very limited, where there is almost no internet where you cannot do what you want. But you have to be patient first.
In fact, there is a lot of indication that trips to North Korea will soon be possible. To the astonishment of many observers, the Pyongyang Zoo suddenly put an English -language website online. It may be an indication of the further gradual opening for foreigners planned by the regime.
For about a year now, only Russian citizens have been allowed to enter tourist purposes. Probably it is a kind of concession by ruler Kim Jong Un to his friend, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Citizens from the South Korea, declared in the North Korean constitution as “enemy state number 1”, must not be able to enter. Some governments, such as those of the United States, prohibit their citizens into the country.
Foreign Office advises against traveling
According to the tour operators, Germans need a valid Chinese visa and can then apply for entry to North Korea. In the rarest of cases there are problems, according to Cockerell.
However, the Federal Foreign Office urgently advises travel to the country on its homepage. The German message has been closed, like that of other European countries since March 2020. So there is no consular support for German tourists.
So a lot is still unsure and unclear. “Be really ready this time,” he said from North Korea, says tour operator Cockerell. Apparently the holidays at the dictator are only a question of weeks.
