Coronavirus (COVID-19): North Korea Temporarily Closes Borders

UPDATE: March 5, 2025:

Tourism to Rason Special Economic Zone (SEZ) has been suspended effective immediately. We are working with our partners to determine the cause and duration of this suspension. We will update as soon as more information becomes available.

UPDATE: February 20, 2025:

Rason Special Economic Zone (SEZ) has reopened to tourism. International tourists can now visit the region on 3-night or 4-night itineraries. There is no airport in Rason, access is by land at the Quanhe – Wonjong border crossing via the Chinese city of Yanji. Travel is limited to Rason, and there is no timeframe yet on when further areas of North Korea, including Pyongyang, will be possible to visit as tourists.

UPDATE: January 30, 2025:

We’ve been advised that while Rason Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is prepared to receive international tourists, travel remains suspended as the Chinese side of the border has not resumed operations. Travel to Rason SEZ cannot be confirmed until further notice.

UPDATE: January 17, 2025:

Rason Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in North Korea’s far northeast is set to reopen for international tourism. This is a major breakthrough, as it’s the first destination in North Korea to reopen for general tourism since 2020. While specific details are pending, tours are expected to be limited to Rason SEZ, requiring entry via land border crossing from China’s Yanbian region. Access to other parts of North Korea, including Pyongyang, will not be possible yet.

UPDATE: January 9, 2025:

The Pyongyang Marathon is scheduled to resume on April 6, 2025, marking its first running since 2019. While international tourism currently remains suspended, the event historically drew significant foreign participation.

UPDATE: August 14, 2024:

There’s been indication that North Korea may resume international tourism to the Samjiyon region in December. This is an area in North Korea’s remote northeast which has undergone major development during the border closure. It’s not yet clear if this potential opening will extend to Pyongyang, and no exact date has been announced. We are not accepting formal bookings until further notice. If you’d like to stay up to date on this developing situation, please join our mailing list at the bottom of this page.

UPDATE: February 9, 2024:

The first tour group since 2020 has entered the DPRK. This Russian tour group departed Vladivostok on an Air Koryo flight bound for Pyongyang, and has been described as a ‘test tour delegation’ in a cooperative effort between Russian and DPRK authorities. While great news, this does not necessarily signal an imminent resumption of tours to the DPRK. Authorities have not yet advised the industry on when wider tourism can resume.

UPDATE: January 12, 2024:

Russian authorities have announced that a group of Russian tourists are scheduled to travel to the DPRK on February 9, 2024. This tour, arranged between the Russian and DPRK governments, is set to depart from and return to Vladivostok by flight. Their itinerary includes visits to Pyongyang and the Masikryong Ski Resort. This will be the first entry by tourists to the DPRK since 2020. Whether this will lead to a broader opening of the borders remains unknown. North Korean authorities have not made any formal announcement on when tourism will resume.

UPDATE: September 26, 2023:

Media reports circulating on September 25 indicated that North Korea is permitting entry to foreigners, subject to a two-day quarantine. These reports were based on a Chinese news announcement, which cited North Korean sources. However, today, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that China ‘has not been notified through diplomatic channels by the DPRK regarding the reopening of its borders.’

UPDATE: August 27, 2023:

North Korean authorities have officially confirmed the border has opened to repatriate Korean nationals, who will undergo one week quarantine on arrival. There is no further word on when tourism will resume. Please contact us for the latest information prior to booking.

UPDATE: August 22, 2023:

The first international passenger flight from North Korea since the border closed in 2020 has now operated between Pyongyang and Beijing. It’s likely this flight, along with upcoming scheduled flights by Air Koryo between Pyongyang and Vladivostok, are to repatriate Korean nationals who have been waiting to return home. There is no further word on when tourism will resume.

UPDATE: January 22, 2023:

The DPRK border remains closed to all travel. All our North Korea tours remain scheduled, however, operation is tentative subject to border restrictions.

UPDATE: March 4, 2021:

We have received confirmation that the 2021 Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon (Pyongyang Marathon) has been officially cancelled due to the continued outbreak of COVID-19 internationally.

UPDATE: January 22, 2021:

Today marks one year since foreign travel to the DPRK was temporarily suspended due to the international COVID-19 outbreak. The DPRK border remains closed to all travel. Authorities have not yet indicated when travel restrictions will be eased or any additional protocols such as quarantine procedures and vaccination requirements. All our scheduled tours remain on standby until further notice. To keep up to date, join our mailing list at the bottom of this page.

UPDATE: February 21, 2020:

We have received confirmation that the 2020 Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon (Pyongyang Marathon) has been officially cancelled due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) within China and internationally. This cancellation has been verified by the Pyongyang Marathon Committee and our partners in Pyongyang.

UPDATE: January 28, 2020:

Further protocols were implemented today to impose a one-month quarantine on all foreigners visiting the DPRK. All foreigners, including our delegation, NGO and diplomatic clients are affected by these measures.

All tourism remains completely halted until further notice. This applies in all cases even if the traveler has not visited China recently, or if their intended arrival was from Russia by land or air.

UPDATE: January 22, 2020:

It has been confirmed as at Wednesday, 22^nd January 2020 that foreign travel to the DPRK has been temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

This has been verified by our partners in Pyongyang. This applies to our tourist and delegation clients.

It is currently not known how long this travel suspension will last, or what protocols will be implemented. There is precedent for border closures during virus outbreaks, with closures during the SARS outbreak in 2003 and again with the Ebola crisis in 2015. The suspensions in these cases lasted a number of months, and additional quarantine precautions were instated upon the resumption of travel.

Our future tours remain open for booking, but should this border closure affect your travel, we are giving tourists the ability to reschedule at any time or to receive a complete refund of their deposit (less bank charges) as per our terms and conditions.

We’ll be updating our social media channels with further updates.

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January 21, 2020

We have received indication that the DPRK may be implementing precautionary measures to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. We are not yet informed of an official suspension on foreign travel and are awaiting further update on the situation. We’ll be reaching out to our potentially affected travelers with the latest as it becomes known.

Filed under: uritours | January 22, 2020