Tourism in North Korea

Tourism in North Korea is tightly controlled by the North Korean government. All tourism is organized by several state-owned tourism bureaus, including Korea International Travel Company (KITC), Korean International Sports Travel Company (KISTC), Korean International Taekwondo Tourism Company (KITTC) and Korean International Youth Travel Company (KIYTC). The majority of tourists are Chinese nationals: one 2019 estimate indicated that up to 120,000 Chinese tourists had visited North Korea in the previous year, compared to fewer than 5,000 from Western countries.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea, North Korea closed its borders to foreign tourists on 22 January 2020. As of April 2021, the resulting economic losses were estimated to be at least US$175 million. In January 2024, it was announced that a group of Russian tourists would be allowed into the country, the first tourists since the border closure. In February 2025, North Korea reopened tourism to foreigners after five years of lockdown, with Pyongyang, the capital city, still off limits. However, only a month later, North Korea closed its borders again in March 2025.