Comments

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  Wendy Capra November 12, 2026 at 8:41pm

  Not at all surprising that North Korea is on this list - nobody (from the West, at least) likes to be rigidly herded and controlled, after all https://travelbinger.com/9-countries-where-tourists-rarely-return-f...

  https://travelbinger.com/9-countries-where-tourists-rarely-return-for-a-second-visit
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  María José June 11, 2026 at 10:08am

  Young Pioneer Tours, which, yes, helped pioneered Western tours to North Korea beginning in 2008, just over a week ago posted an update on NK travel. Spoiler alert: still nada - although it´s worth reading as an overview of the phenomenon. (And as for YPT, they still run tours to plenty of other countries, specializing in off-the-beaten path and even unrecognized, such as Transdnistria, Gaugazia, Somaliland, and Western Sahara.) https://www.youngpioneertours.com/north-korea-open-for-tourism/

  

  When will North Korea open for tourism? – June 2026 Update

  When will North Korea open for tourism? The short answer is that there is no definite answer, but things have been moving in a positive direction
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  Maria de los Angeles December 27, 2025 at 9:11am

  Inside the newish beach resort area opened earlier this year - and as usual with North Korea, it´s kind of a bizarro experience https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c707d1ez0kno

  

  Wonsan Kalma: My trip to North Korea’s 'Benidorm' - flanked by guards

  Anastasia, one of the first Russian visitors to North Korea's new resort, tells of "immaculate" beaches, meaty meals and strict rules.
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  David Paul Appell March 10, 2025 at 1:19pm

  And before the window slammed shut again, here´s an interesting video of impressions from the first Western tourists let into NK https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/travel-influencers-tell-cnn-s-...
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  David Paul Appell March 8, 2025 at 12:21pm

  Welp, that was fast https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjry1yz9qevo

  

  North Korea halts tourism just weeks after reopening

  Tourists were finally allowed into North Korea last month, but the excitement has been short-lived.
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  Max Pesling December 26, 2024 at 8:06pm

  A recent look at how North Korea is finally reopening to tourism after COVID: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/travel-preparation/north-korea-tou...
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  Jorge Carlos Tejada Sobrino January 17, 2024 at 3:31pm

  This is interesting: tourists being welcomed for the first time since the pandemic - although it involves Russians rather than Westerners https://edition.cnn.com/travel/russian-tourists-north-korea-intl-hn...

  https://edition.cnn.com/travel/russian-tourists-north-korea-intl-hnk?cid=ios_app
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  Jordan Simon July 7, 2023 at 11:15am

  While the country still has not reopened its borders to foreign visitors that were shut during the COVID-19 pandemic, apparently the régime is looking to tap its own citizens newly discovered foreign-currency holdings (who knew?), as reported by the NK Daily, run by South Koreans out of Seoul: https://www.dailynk.com/english/n-korea-turns-to-domestic-tourism-t...

  

  N. Korea turns to domestic tourism to boost foreign currency earnings
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  Jeffrey Kunst April 13, 2022 at 12:32pm

  With tourism to NK still shut down due to that country's COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, here's a recent article by one Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours about its prospects for 2022 and heyond: https://www.nknews.org/2022/02/what-the-future-holds-for-north-kore....

  

  What the future holds for North Korea tourism after the pandemic | NK News

  The following article is the final entry in a multipart series by Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours about being a North Korea tour guide. Views e…
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  Ed Wetschler April 30, 2012 at 9:00pm

  New tour to North Korea: http://contactbeacon.com/cb/public/templatelink.php?i=13880876&...    Also scroll down this page for links to J. Thalia Cunningham's reports from North Korea.