For the first time in more than five years, international visitors can visit the city of Rason, considered one of the least known and most inaccessible areas in North Korea.
In 1991, the city was established as North Korea's first special economic zone, serving as a testing ground for new economic policies.
A representative of Beijing-based travel agency Koryo Tours has just announced that they have resumed booking tours to visit the city of Rason when North Korea reopens to tourists.
The price of the trip is about 720 USD (nearly 20 million VND) for a 4-night tour in Rason, a city in the northeast, near the border of China and Russia. Along with that, visitors will stay 2 nights in the city of Yanji, China. The first tour takes place from February 12 to February 18.
"Although the capital Pyongyang is still closed to tourists, there are still many people waiting to visit North Korea. The tour promises to take tourists to certain places to visit in Rason," Greg Vaczi, a representative of Koryo Tours, told NBC News.
According to media reports, Rason has operated differently from the rest of North Korea since 1991. It is also the first place to have a mobile phone network and use a card payment system.
Among other attractions, visitors can expect to visit the Paekhaksan Sea Cucumber Farm and the Paekhaksan Food Processing Factory. They can also open their own North Korean bank account at the Golden Triangle Bank. At the North Korean Tri-Country Observatory, visitors can look out over China and Russia.
However, since Rason does not have an international airport, the only way to reach it is to drive across the Chinese border. In January, another tour operator, Young Pioneer Tours, also announced tour packages to Rason.
Simon Cockerell, a representative of Koryo Tours, expressed hope that when the tour resumes, tourists will be able to travel through the land border gate in northern China, which has not been used by Western tourists.
"I believe that tourists traveling to North Korea will receive many positive and eye-opening things," Mr. Simon shared his opinion.
Koryo Tours is now accepting reservations for tours to Rason in March and April.
North Korea plans to open the Kalma tourist area along its east coast in June, hoping to attract more international visitors and foreign currency to the country. Citizens of most countries are welcome, except those of the United States and South Korea.
However, tourists cannot come here on their own and must buy a tour through a licensed travel agency such as Young Pioneer Tours and Koryo Tours. These are two Chinese travel agencies that specialize in organizing tours to North Korea.
Tour guests will have a tour guide from the travel agency and a local guide to follow the entire program. If traveling in a group, Chinese guests do not need to apply for a visa thanks to a special single-entry permit to enter North Korea.
Amid the reopening, North Korea has also begun to attract new visitors, including those who have signed up for the Pyongyang International Marathon, scheduled to be held in April. This is an annual international competition held in Pyongyang, now in its 31st year.
According to statistics compiled by NK News , in 2019, about 350,000 Chinese tourists traveled to North Korea, bringing in a large source of revenue for Pyongyang.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/voi-gia-gan-20-trieu-dong-khach-tham-noi-it-duoc-biet-nhat-o-trieu-tien-20250215110250562.htm
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