▲ North Korea's Korean Central TV reported on August 10 that labor innovators from across the country visited the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Region by airplane, train, and bus to enjoy leisure activities such as swimming and entertainment.
As Chinese travel agencies consecutively promote group tour packages visiting Pyongyang and the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Region in North Korea, attention is gathering on whether group tourism by Chinese nationals—suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic—will resume.
According to U.S.-based North Korea-focused media outlet NK News and multiple local Chinese travel industry sources on October 30, travel agencies in China are promoting on social media the recruitment of "youth exchange delegations" to visit Pyongyang and Wonsan upon the invitation of the Chosun Youth International Travel Company, a North Korean agency specializing in foreign tourists.
The travel itineraries consist of a total of three sessions: October 30 – November 6, November 6 – 13, and November 20 – 27, each lasting 7 nights and 8 days.
Targeting students and adults, the participation fees are specified as 7,800 yuan (approx. 1.56 million won) when utilizing trains and 8,800 yuan (approx. 1.76 million won) when utilizing flights.
According to the itineraries released by the travel agencies, participants can visit major political landmarks in Pyongyang, such as Kim Il Sung Square and the Tower of the Juche Idea, and tour the Kaeson Youth Park, Rungna People's Pleasure Park, Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace, and Mansudae Art Studio.
In Wonsan, the itinerary includes staying at the Songdowon International Children's Camp, participating in cultural exchange activities, and visiting the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Region.
The Kalma Coastal Tourist Region is known as North Korea's first large-scale coastal tourism complex, featuring dozens of hotels and accommodation facilities along a sandy beach stretching approximately 5.5 kilometers.
Since its opening in July of last year, tour packages have operated virtually exclusively for Russian group tourists, and this summer, youth from China and Russia held a friendship evening event at the Songdowon International Children's Camp.
The Songdowon International Children's Camp operates for foreign children, and the United Kingdom and the European Union have previously placed it on sanctions lists, raising suspicions that the facility has been involved in political ideological education and militarization targeting Ukrainian children.
Another Chinese travel agency also announced on October 28 the recruitment of a North Korea cultural exchange delegation open to individuals under the age of 50.
The itinerary proposed by this agency runs from November 20 to 27 next month, and alongside tours of Pyongyang and the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Region, it includes taking a cable car up to Daehwa Peak at the Masikryong Ski Resort near Wonsan.
It also guided that participants will lodge at the Songdowon International Children's Camp in Wonsan.
Industry evaluations indicate that if these travel products are actually operated, it could serve as an occasion to resume group tourism to North Korea by Chinese nationals, which has been practically halted since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Explanations suggest that exchanges between the two countries could gain rapid momentum as the New Amnok River Bridge, a North Korea-China border bridge whose opening was delayed for a long time, opened on October 15, and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un visited Dandong via the New Amnok River Bridge on October 24.
However, projections are also raised that actual tourism may still take more time, given that North Korea has not officially confirmed the resumption of entry for Chinese tourists and industry explanations regarding issued visas remain unclear.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry's consular service network guides that Chinese citizens holding ordinary personal passports must obtain a visa or tourist pass from North Korean diplomatic missions prior to visiting North Korea, but the resumption of issuing tourist passes has not been announced by either North Korea or China.
NK News likewise cited industry sources to report that there have been several instances in recent years where Chinese companies announced the resumption of tourism but did not actually proceed with it, adding that Chinese travel agencies might have promoted the tour packages to secure WeChat contacts or collect deposits.
United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea restrict weapons transactions, financial transactions, and the import and export of major goods related to North Korea's nuclear and missile development, but do not ban foreign tourism to North Korea itself.
At the same time, points have been raised that if transactions are made with entities subject to sanctions during the tourism process, or if financial services such as traveler's insurance are provided, there is a possibility of violating relevant sanction regulations.
Until COVID-19, Chinese nationals traveled to North Korea in scales of hundreds of thousands annually, and travels continue to take place recently, though restricted strictly to business.
(Photo: Korean Central TV, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.