North Korea reopens to tourists just in time for late leader Kim Jong Il's birthday
For the first time in more than five years, foreign tourists can visit North Korea, albeit to the city of Rason, one of the secretive communist state's least visited places.
Koryo Tours, a tour operator based in Beijing, announced this week it had reopened bookings to see the city after North Korea sealed its borders in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.
For about $720, the tour includes four nights in Rason, a city in the country's northeast near the borders of both China and Russia. Visitors will also get two nights in the Chinese city of Yanji.
The first tour is set to take place between Feb. 12 and 18, during which time major celebrations are planned for the birthday of the country's late leader Kim Jong Il, one of North Korea's biggest holidays.
The national holiday, known as the Day of the Shining Star, is typically celebrated Feb. 16. with large public displays, including parades. North Koreans also bow to statues of Kim Jong Il, the father of their current leader, Kim Jong Un.
And though the country's capital, Pyongyang, remains closed to tourists, 'there are a lot of people who have been waiting to go to North Korea,' Greg Vaczi at Koryo Tours, told NBC News on Tuesday.
He added that 20 tourists will be able to enter in time for the birthday celebrations.
North Korea is 'desperate for foreign currency,' said Hazel Smith, a professor at London's SOAS University, who lived in North Korea for two years. 'Not just for oil, but basic technology like irrigation or health services.'
Before the pandemic, the country hosted hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists who provided up to $175 million in extra revenue in 2019, according to the South Korea-based news outlet NK News.
However, the United States banned citizens from traveling to the country after the death of American student Otto Warmbier in 2017.
The 22-year-old stole a propaganda banner from a hotel during a visit to Pyonyang in January 2016 and was later sentenced to 15 years hard labor for committing a hostile act against the government. The University of Virginia student was returned to the U.S. in a coma the following year and died shortly afterwards.
The latest tour promises to take tourists to the 'must-see sites in Rason,' which is known as North Korea's special economic zone.
The city has operated differently from the rest of the country since 1991 and has been used as a testing ground for new economic policies, the country's first mobile phone network and the first card payment system.
Among other attractions, Koryo Tours said, tourists can visit the 'Sea Cucumber Breeding Farm and Paekhaksan Combined Foodstuff Processing Factory.' They will also be offered the chance to open their own North Korean bank account during a stop at the Golden Triangle Bank.
From the Three Countries Border Viewpoint, visitors will also be able to view neighboring China and Russia.
Last month, another travel agency, Young Pioneer Tours, also announced tour packages to Rason.
But there's a chance the tours may not go ahead as planned.
Smith said the country, which once welcomed thousands of foreign visitors, would view the tours as a test. 'They're always cautious, but I think they will be super, super cautious now,' she said. 'This is one way of doing it, having a tour operator which they trust, which is professional.'
As Rason does not have an international airport, the only way to get there is a drive across the Chinese border.
'The Chinese checkpoint at the Sino-Korean border is not ready yet to receive foreigners,' Vaczi said. 'We have to wait until the Chinese are ready to receive [them].'
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Senate Republican: ‘America is safer with Pam Bondi as attorney general'
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) on Sunday said he has confidence in Attorney General Pam Bondi despite reports that she is feuding with FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino over her handling of the case related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. 'I do,' Barrasso said, when asked in an interview on NBC News's 'Meet the Press' whether he has confidence in Bondi. 'We ran to make this country safer and more prosperous. Pam Bondi and her team are getting hardened criminals off the streets,' he continued. 'America is safer with Pam Bondi as attorney general.' Barrasso said, 'I do,' when moderator Kristen Welker followed up to ask if he has confidence in Patel. The interview comes after President Trump reiterated his confidence in Bondi on Saturday amid fierce backlash from segments of his base over her handling of the Epstein files. The Justice Department released a memo on Monday concluding there was no evidence Epstein kept a 'client list,' nor that the convicted sex offender sought to blackmail powerful figures implicated in his crimes. The memo also found no evidence suggesting foul play involved in Epstein's death, which had previously been ruled a suicide. Those revelations contradict conspiracy theories pushed by several right-wing media personalities and internet influencers; many of whom fumed Monday over the memo and alleged a cover-up was taking place.
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
16 abandoned places around the world that have become must-see tourist attractions
Abandoned places can be creepy, but fascinating. These spaces, whether an old high school, a rundown house, or a shipwreck, can deliver a thrill, but also a peek into the past. And there are some unique sites around the world that give visitors an unforgettable experience. From Italy to Australia to Curaçao, some of the destinations on this list sat empty for decades— even centuries — before becoming popular tourist attractions. Located in the Thames Estuary, these metal towers were installed in 1942 to help protect London from sea raids and air raids during World War II. They were decommissioned in the 1950s and were used as radio operators for years. Initially, the forts consisted of seven towers connected by steel walkways; now there are fewer of them, and the walkways are no longer safe. The only way to visit the forts, although you can't go inside, is via a boat ride off the coast of the UK. The SS Ayrfield shipwreck is one of several vessels that sit in Sydney Harbour. The ship was originally in service for 60 years before it was used to transport supplies to U.S. troops in the Pacific during World War II. After it was retired, it was used to move coal in Australia. In 1972, the SS Ayrfield was decommissioned and sent to the wrecking yard, which shortly after went out of business, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The ship was left floating in the bay, then it partially sank and started to rest. Eventually, mangroves began growing out of the middle of it, and now it serves as a tourist attraction and is accessible via private boats. Poveglia is a small island located between Venice and Lido, Italy. For over 100 years, the island was used as a quarantine station for those suffering from the plague and other diseases. It was eventually turned into a mental hospital, which closed in 1968. The island has been vacant ever since and is known for its paranormal activity. The Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse is located on the coast of the North Sea in Denmark. It was first lit in 1900 and was operating until 1968. Over the years, the lighthouse was used as a museum and a coffee shop, but erosion from the sea forced that to come to a halt. The lighthouse was expected to fall into the water by 2023, but in 2019, it was relocated 230 feet inland, allowing it to be safe until at least 2060. It is a popular tourist destination that attracts around 250,000 people annually, according to the BBC. Located on the eastern coast of China, over 5,000 miles away from Paris, is Tianducheng, known as the "Paris of the East." The luxury real estate development was designed to emulate the City of Lights, featuring its own Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, and a 354-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower. Many of the homes remain vacant but the city still attracts many Chinese and international tourists, according to National Geographic. In southern Africa's Namib Desert is the ghost town of Kolmanskop. The town was originally known for its discovery of diamonds. In the 1930s, intensive mining depleted the area, and by 1956, it was abandoned entirely, according to National Geographic. The sand dunes eventually took over and now fill the houses where people once lived. In 2002, a local private company was granted access to Kolmanskop as a tourist destination. It now welcomes as many as 35,000 tourist visits a year. The Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital complex was an over 100-year-old hospital that served the military during both World War I and World War II. It was once the largest treatment center in the world for lung diseases, but has been abandoned for 25 years since the former Soviet Union military left the site in 1995. Outside the small town of Rummu are the ruins of an abandoned prison camp that now serve as a beach attraction. The former Soviet Union originally built the prison near a limestone quarry where inmates were forced to work. When Estonia regained its independence in 1991, the prison and the quarry were abandoned. The natural groundwater eventually seeped into the former quarry, creating a new lake that swallowed some of the buildings. Part of the former prison can still be seen from the land. It is known as a hot spot for divers looking for the sunken ruins underwater. Located 15 miles off the southeast coast of Curaçao, Klein Curaçao is an uninhabited island. The Dutch island still has signs of its former residents, like a deteriorating lighthouse. It is a hot spot for snorkelers thanks to its marine life and white-sand beaches. Tours of the island are often offered as all-day trips but can cost at least $120 per adult, according to U.S. News and World Report. The bell tower is a submerged 14th-century church and can be reached on foot when the water freezes. The steeple is part of what was once the Italian village of Curon. It was flooded by the government in 1950 to create an artificial lake. In 2021, the lake was temporarily drained, exposing the lost village for the first time in decades, according to Smithsonian magazine. Formerly a listening station during the Cold War, the TV tower was used for espionage and intercepting communications starting in the 1950s. It was used by American forces until the end of the Cold War. It was then used for air traffic control until the government sold it in 1999. Today, visitors can tour the remaining large radar domes. Located in the southernmost area of Basilicata, Craco stands atop a cliff that is now a total ghost town. It is reached by car, but the best way to see it is by motorcycle. By 1963, the town's population was just under 2,000 residents, and then a landscape forced more inhabitants to leave. In 1972, it was devastated by a flood and then in 1980 by an earthquake, and after that, it became a ghost town, according to Architectural Digest. The Bannerman Castle is located on Pollepel Island in New York's Hudson River. It was built as a fortress for weapons in the early 20th century. It was abandoned in the 1950s after gunpowder exploded, according to The New York Times. In the early 1990s, the Bannerman Castle Trust helped restore the structure and island for public visits. It has been open for tours since 2020. Also known as Gunkanjima, Hashima Island is an abandoned island off Nagasaki. It is the most famous of the 505 uninhabited islands off the coast of Nagasaki. It is a former coal mine that once had a hospital, schools, shops, a temple, and a shrine. In 2015, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Also known as The Train Cemetery or "Cementerio de Trenes" in Spanish, it's an area on the outskirts of Uyuni. The area was renowned as a vital transportation hub in South America. In the early 19th century, plans were made to expand the railway network, but the project was ultimately abandoned. The trains were left to rust and now visitors can approach them with no restrictions. There are over 100 train cars. Inside Germany's Black Forest are the ruins of Kloster Allerheiligen, also known as the Monastery of All Saints. The site was destroyed by several fires, with the latest being in 1804 when it was struck by lightning. It was left in ruins but kept from deteriorating by preservationists. At some point, it was also used by monks and pilgrims.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Noem defends conditions at ‘Alligator Alcatraz' detention facility
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the conditions at the 'Alligator Alcatraz' facility in Florida after Democrats made claims of 'inhumane' treatment of the detained migrants. In an interview on NBC News's 'Meet the Press,' moderator Kristen Welker asked Noem about claims from Democrats that, in the facility, more than 30 people are 'stuffed into a jail cell' and that the detainees 'get their drinking water and they brush their teeth from the same place where they go to the bathroom.' 'Our detention centers at the federal level are held to a higher standard than most local or state centers and even federal prisons. The standards are extremely high,' Noem responded, noting the facility is 'state run.' Noem also pushed back on the term 'jail cells,' calling them, instead, 'secure facilities' that are 'held to the highest levels of what the federal government requires for detention facilities.' Noem suggested there is a double standard in the way Democrats react to the facilities under the Trump administration and under past Democratic administrations. 'I wish they would have said that back during the Biden administration and back when Democrats were in the White House and they were piling people on top of each other on cement floors and literally didn't have two feet to move,' Noem said about claims that the migrants are in 'cages' in the facility. 'They never did that, and that's why this politics has to end.' Noem said she would take cameras in the facility to 'show people what these facilities look like.' 'Because if you compare them to what happened under the Biden administration and under the Obama administration, these centers are at the highest levels,' she continued. 'And they're even higher than what our federal prison standards are or state or local often are.'
