North Korea opened its doors to international tourists after a gap of five years. However, three weeks on, Rason, a city near the country’s border with China, has abruptly stopped tourism, according to multiple media reports.

North Korea has abruptly stopped international trips to a northeastern border city near China, less than three weeks after it opened it up for tourists since the pandemic. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

North Korea has once again closed its borders, suspending foreign tourism just weeks after the secretive state welcomed its first Western visitors in five years.

Visitors were taken to Rason, in the country’s special economic zone, on a five-day trip organised by Beijing-based Koryo Tours.

Western tourists had three weeks to experience North Korea - which has remained closed to travellers from non-allied states - before it was shuttered again without warning

The country has halted international trips to a city near its border with China, travel agencies said, abruptly reversing Pyongyang's recent decision to reopen its frontier to tourism after five years of isolation.

The Beijing-based travel company Koryo Tours said it arranged a five-day trip from Feb. 20 to Feb. 24 for 13 international tourists to the northeastern North Korean border city of Rason, where the country’s special economic zone is located. Koryo Tours ...

The Rason SEZ was set up in 1991, bordering Russia and China. As an SEZ, it's one of the more international-facing regions in North Korea, making it more accessible to visit and get around.

Tourists from Singapore can only visit North Korea as part of organised tours conducted by 10 agencies pre-approved by the North Korean government. None of these agencies are in Singapore; most are based in Russia or China and there is one in Australia.

After the pandemic began, North Korea quickly banned tourists, jetted out diplomats and severely curtailed border traffic in one of the world’s most draconian COVID-19 restrictions. But since 2022, North Korea has been slowly easing curbs and reopening its borders.

A small group of foreign tourists has visited North Korea in the past week, making them the first international travellers to enter the country in five years except for a group of Russian tourists who went to the North last year.

Luca Pferdmenges, a travel influencer, was among the first Western tourists to visit North Korea since 2020. He was surprised by what he was shown.