North Korea has stopped tourists from visiting, just weeks after the first Western tourists entered the country for the first time in five years. North Korea sealed itself off at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, and started to scale back restrictions in the middle of 2023. It opened up to Russian visitors in 2024, but it was only last month that Western tourists were allowed into the remote, eastern city Rason. However several tour companies now say that trips to the reclusive country have been canceled until further notice. Pyongyang has not given a reason for the sudden halt. "Just received news from our Korean partners that Rason is closed to everyone. We will keep you posted," China-based KTG Tours, which specializes in North Korean tours, said Wednesday on Facebook. Young Pioneer Tours and Koryo Tours were among the other agencies that have announced the suspension. Those planning tours in April and May should refrain from booking flights "until we have more information", Young Pioneer Tours said in a Facebook post. On 20 February, the first Western tourists started arriving in Rason, a city earmarked by the North as a special economic zone, to trial new financial policies. Tour operators told the BBC the visitors' movements were even more restricted than on pre-pandemic trips - they had fewer opportunities to wander the streets and talk to locals. Phone signals and internet access were also not available in the hermit state. One tour leader said he suspects Rason was picked because the area is relatively contained and easy to control. Earlier this week, Koryo Tours said it was accepting international applications for the Pyongyang Marathon for the first time in five years. The event is scheduled for 6 April but it is now unclear if these can still be processed. North Korea saw some 350,000 foreign tourists in 2019, of whom 90% were Chinese, according to media reports. — BBC
