North Korea is open to tourists of any nationality except South Korean. The US and Malaysian governments have banned their citizens from travelling to North Korea. Tourists may only visit the Rason Special Economic Zone (Rason SEZ) in North Korea from February 20. North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, remains closed to all but Russian visitors.

Tourists have been left disappointment by North Korean tourist attraction, the Jonsung Revolutionary Museum. The museum is one of the many dedicated to the ruling family and contains the wartime base of the Korean People's Army (KPA),

Before the pandemic, tourism to North Korea was a significant industry, with Chinese visitors making up about 90% of all foreign arrivals. However, with the reopening, North Korea is seeing renewed interest from tourists from Australia, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.

The first trip to depart for Rason is a “Return of North Korean Tourism Tour” for 20 tourists on 12 February. In honour of the country’s late leader, the tour from Yanji, China to the DPRK border starts from €705 (£590) per person and spends four nights in Rason.

While Russian tourists have been allowed to enter North Korea since February 2024, given warming ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, the country has remained closed to all other travellers, including Chinese tourists, who accounted for as much as 90 per cent of its tourist arrivals before the pandemic.