North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, recently shut its borders to international tourism. The closure took place only two weeks after the isolated and nearly inescapable country finally reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic.
On February 20, 2025, North Korea permitted foreigners to visit the Rason Special Economic Zone, a northeastern area bordering China and Russia. It’s the first time in five years that non-Russian foreigners were allowed entry.
It was previously reported that North Korea was opening the Samjiyon area for international tourists in December 2024, but that never came to light. Here’s why the DPRK’s recent tourism efforts haven’t been working out.
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North Korea didn’t give any explanation about the recent closure
In early March, North Korea abruptly sealed tourism in Rason without any explanation. The country initially offered no explanation for the re-closure of its borders to Western tourists, but the alleged reason is this: content creators and travel influencers. According to various accounts, influencers were accused of mocking Kim Jong-un’s country and even pulling pranks while visiting North Korea.
As a result, travel agencies arranging trips to the country have announced that the city is closed until further notice. They also advised people not to book any flights in the next two months.
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Before the border closure, 13 travelers had the chance to enjoy a five-day trip to one of East Asia’s most fascinating countries to visit (February 20 to 24). They were from Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Greece, France, New Zealand, and the U.K.
The group reportedly crossed the border into North Korea by land from China. The short-lived international tourism came amid North Korea’s urgent need for foreign currency.
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The First Visitors To North Korea In 2025 Described The Experience As “Strict”
North Korea tours were “very organized,” but didn’t hide the country’s poverty
A 23-year-old German travel influencer, Luca Pferdmenges, was one of the 13 people who got to visit Rason in February. In an essay for Business Insider, he said that “everything on a North Korean tour is very, very organized, with strict rules to follow.”
“It felt an awful lot like a school trip,” Pferdmenges said of his trip to Rason. “Everyone is on a bus, with assigned seats and the guide never leaves you.”
Despite the expected controlled nature of the tour, the social media figure—who has been trying to visit every country in the world—noted that the guides didn’t try to conceal the poor living conditions in the region.
“They just don’t like people taking photos of it and presenting it as the sole truth,” wrote Pferdmenges.
North Korea is considered one of the poorest among Asia’s 48 countries.
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Experts Say North Korea Still Can’t Afford To Reopen For Tourism In 2025
North Korea’s fears of foreign influence continue to block tourism
North Korea’s economy could largely benefit from the foreign currency brought by international tourism. But its fear of foreign influence is stronger, along with social media exposure. But the country has high ambitions for tourism, as evident in its failed developments, including the world’s “most depressing” amusement park in the DPRK’s Pyongyang and the abandoned and still unused Ryugyong Hotel, nicknamed the “Hotel of Doom”.
In January 2025, NK News predicted the sudden suspension of North Korea’s tourism. After the closure, the outlet said it “shows Kim Jong Un is caught between desire for foreign currency and fear of foreign influence.”
North Korea has other openings lined up. Non-Russian foreigners were invited to register for the April 2025 Pyongyang Marathon. The Wonsan-Kalma Resort is also set to launch in June 2025. Kim Jong Un was quoted saying:
“The construction of the Kalma coastal tourist area is the first big step of great significance in putting the national tourist industry on a track of epochal development.”
The project is described as a luxury beachfront “tourist city” and a “first big step” in establishing the DPRK’s tourism industry. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens in the next few months.
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