Tourism

Overview

Tourism in North Korea is a tightly controlled and relatively small industry, yet it offers a rare window for foreigners to see the country – on the government's terms. The DPRK's approach to tourism can be summarized as highly restrictive access to a curated experience.

Accessibility

Tourism is permitted only under guided tour groups or private guided visits. Individual, unguided travel is not allowed. All tourists must have North Korean minders (guides) with them at all times, from the moment of entry until departure. Wandering off or deviating from the approved itinerary is forbidden.

The vast majority of foreign tourists enter via China – typically by flying from Beijing to Pyongyang on Air Koryo or taking a train from Beijing or Dandong into Pyongyang (the international train crosses the Sino-Korean border at Dandong/Sinuiju).

Volume of Tourists

Compared to other destinations, North Korea receives very few tourists annually. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was estimated that around 100,000 Chinese tourists visited per year and about 5,000 Western tourists (from Europe, Americas, Oceania) visited annually. Chinese tourists comprise the bulk due to proximity and more lenient Chinese travel agency operations.

Western tourist numbers had been rising in the 2010s despite travel warnings, reaching a peak around 2018. For instance, in summer 2018 during a diplomatic thaw, reportedly 1,800 tourists per day were entering in peak months (mostly Chinese on day trips to border areas and larger groups to Pyongyang).

However, in early 2020, North Korea closed its borders entirely as COVID-19 spread, and tourism was completely halted. As of 2023, there were rumors of reopening to tourists (especially Chinese), but it remains extremely limited under pandemic restrictions.

Tourist Experience and Sites

The places and experiences open to tourists are very curated:

Pyongyang Sites

In Pyongyang, typical sites include:

• Kim Il-sung Square – the main public square
• The Juche Tower – a 170-meter monument to the Juche ideology
• The Grand Monument on Mansu Hill – the giant bronze statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, where tourists are expected to bow and present flowers
• The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun – mausoleum where Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il's embalmed bodies lie in state – a highly choreographed visit
• Arch of Triumph – a replica similar to Paris's arch but bigger
• Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum – with the captured USS Pueblo on display
• Pyongyang Metro – tourists are taken on a short ride to marvel at its ornate stations
• Children's Palace – to watch kids perform music/dance
• Mangyongdae – Kim Il-sung's purported birthplace
• Recreational sites like the Kaeson Youth Amusement Park or the dolphinarium

Outside Pyongyang

Popular destinations include:

• Panmunjom/DMZ: Tourists can visit the Joint Security Area from the North's side, stand by the blue huts, and look into South Korea – soldiers accompany them and deliver the North's narrative of the armistice.
• Kaesong city: The old capital of Koryo, visited for its historic sites: the Koryo Museum and old tombs.
• Myohyangsan (Mount Myohyang): A scenic area with the International Friendship Exhibition (huge halls housing gifts presented to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il by foreign dignitaries – a bizarre but interesting museum).
• Wonsan and the east coast: Including Mt. Kumgang (Diamond Mountain), which is famed for its beauty. Kumgang used to host South Korean tourist groups from 1998 until a South Korean tourist was shot dead in 2008 and the program ceased.
• Mount Paektu: On the northern border, considered sacred as the legendary birthplace of the Korean nation (and officially of Kim Jong-il), is another site sometimes open to tour groups in summer – involving a flight to the remote Samjiyon area, and visits to Lake Chon (Heaven Lake) in the Paektu crater and the Paektusan Secret Camp (guerrilla camp site associated with Kim Il-sung).
• Rason Special Economic Zone: In the northeast (near Russia/China) offers a peek at a more commercial area; some tours allow visiting a local market there (one of the only places foreigners might see an actual North Korean market, though with constraints).

Activities

Activities for tourists are orchestrated: one can attend the Mass Games if they are being held (which is a highlight), see a schoolchildren's performance, or even participate in the Pyongyang Marathon (an annual event since 2014 where foreigners can run on Pyongyang's streets in a monitored race – it was very popular among adventurous runners until COVID stopped it).

Restrictions and Monitoring

Throughout any tour, photography is controlled – guides will tell tourists what they can or cannot photograph (no military personnel or checkpoints, no construction sites or impoverished scenes). Tourists' interactions with locals are also limited. Typically, tourists only meet approved individuals – guides, hotel staff, perhaps some local students in carefully managed settings (like an English class in Pyongsong where tourists talk to children, always supervised).

Tourism Infrastructure

Foreign visitors stay at designated tourist hotels. In Pyongyang, the main hotels are large but dated structures on islands or isolated areas (to prevent wanderings) – e.g. the Yanggakdo International Hotel on an island in the Taedong River, or the Koryo Hotel downtown. These hotels have the peculiar feature of having different floors for foreigners vs. locals and limited channels on TV (but often BBC and Al Jazeera are accessible to foreigners).

Outside Pyongyang, accommodations can be spartan – basic hotels or guest houses often with erratic power and cold water.

Transport

Transport for tourists is usually by coach. Air Koryo provides flights on aging Soviet aircraft (however, it's an experience for plane enthusiasts – Air Koryo's planes like the IL-62 or TU-204). The airline has a reputation and is sanctioned, but it's the typical way in. Some tours from China to the northeast are by train or even by road for short trips to Sinuiju.

Guides and Monitoring

The North Korean guides (often two per group: one main guide and one "minder" plus a driver) are generally educated, speak decent English or other languages, and are carefully vetted. They ensure rules are followed. Tourists often note that guides are friendly but will steer conversations to positive aspects and deflect political questions.

At night, tourists are usually confined to their hotels (which often have some limited entertainment: a karaoke bar, billiards, maybe a bookstore selling propaganda souvenirs). It's unsafe and not allowed to leave the hotel alone. As such, the tourist experience can feel "sterile and organized" – major sites are well-presented and often devoid of regular locals except those mobilized to be there or going about daily business at a distance.

Cost and Organization

All tourism is organized by state-owned travel companies like Korea International Travel Company (KITC) or Koryo Tours (the state one, not to confuse with the Beijing-based company of similar name). They dictate the itineraries and prices. The cost for tourists is relatively high – a few thousand USD for a week-long trip, not including visas and travel to China.

North Korea requires payment typically in foreign currency (EUR, USD, or RMB) – tourism is a valuable source of hard currency for the regime, albeit small in the scheme of things (estimated a few tens of millions of dollars a year). According to one analysis, tourism revenue rose significantly in the late 2010s as Chinese tourism boomed, increasing by 400% between 2014 and 2019.

Restrictions and Safety

Tourists must obey all rules, which include not insulting or damaging images of the leadership, not wandering off, not interacting with locals without permission. Failure to do so has led to serious consequences, as in the case of American student Otto Warmbier who in 2016 was arrested for allegedly taking a propaganda poster; he was sentenced to 15 years hard labor but fell into a coma in custody and was returned to the US in 2017 only to die shortly after. This tragedy highlighted the risks of visiting North Korea, especially for Americans. Since then, Western governments often strongly advise against travel there.

That said, the North Korean authorities generally treat tour groups well as long as rules are followed – they pride themselves on showing hospitality within the confines of the propaganda mission. Crime against tourists is virtually nonexistent (partly because the only North Koreans tourists meet are vetted ones, and any incident could bring severe punishment on a local). The biggest risk is inadvertently offending local laws or getting caught in a political event.

COVID-19 Impact

As of 2020-2023, North Korea shut down tourism entirely. Even Chinese day trips to the border ceased. Some reports in mid-2023 indicated North Korea might resume limited tours (Chinese agencies advertising possible trips). If/when it fully reopens, Chinese tourists will likely be the first wave. There's pent-up interest among Western adventure travelers as well.

Future of Tourism

North Korea has signaled interest in expanding tourism as a sanctioned-free way to earn revenue. Kim Jong-un invested in new tourist zones like the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone – he built an airport there and envisioned a resort city with hotels and beaches for foreigners. Also, modernization of Samjiyon near Mt. Paektu into a model city included facilities potentially for tourists.

However, the pandemic and international sanctions (which, while not directly banning tourism, complicate financial transactions) have stalled these plans. Moreover, the regime's paranoia means they will never allow anything but highly managed tourism, fearing foreign influence on their people and espionage.

Summary

Tourism in North Korea is small-scale and tightly choreographed, offering glimpses of the country's impressive monuments, natural beauty, and propaganda displays, but not the unfiltered reality of everyday life. It remains a surreal experience: visitors see grand monuments and well-rehearsed performances, while only catching fleeting hints of the ordinary struggles (like through a bus window). For those who do go, the appeal is witnessing a "different world" under one of the most secretive regimes, but it must always be remembered that one is seeing what the North Korean government wants you to see.