AKIPRESS.COM - North Korea plans to resume allowing organized groups of foreign tourists in December 2024, a practice halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports citing tour companies.

Tour operators will be able to arrange trips to the North Korean city of Samjiyon and possibly other regions.

"We have received confirmation from our local partner that tourism to Samjiyon and likely the rest of the country will officially resume in December 2024," the Beijing-based Koryo Tours said.

This move signals the country’s preparation to reopen its borders to large groups of foreign tourists after years of strict COVID-related controls, the agency notes.