North Korea briefly re-opened its borders after a five-year hiatus—but it might open again later this year. Which begs the question: is it safe to go?
In modern times, North Korea is the closest we get to a destination sealed off behind an Iron Curtain. The country’s authoritarian leaders have isolated North Korea from the rest of the world, depriving its citizens of access to the internet and news beyond that which the government approves. Such isolation might make North Korea an alluring travel destination, but for the past five years, the country has been more than just isolated—it’s been completely out of reach. Since halting tourism in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, North Korea has remained closed to foreign visitors, long outlasting other countries’ pandemic-prompted border closures.
This February, one year after the country began exclusively letting in tourists from Russia, North Korea reopened, welcoming the first non-Russian tour groups since 2020. Only a few weeks later, though, the country shuttered again without explanation. Despite this false start, tour operators expect tourism in North Korea to resume later this year. With this unique destination accessible to travelers once again, the question becomes: Is North Korea actually safe to visit? And what is it like to peek behind the Iron Curtain?
North Korea’s Reputation
Many of us are familiar with the chilling story of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who was convicted of stealing a North Korean propaganda poster in 2016 and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment and hard labor. In the wake of Warmbier’s suspicious death not long after his sentencing, the U.S. government prohibited Americans from visiting North Korea. To this day, only American residents who hold another passport (such as those with dual citizenship) can enter the country.
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Even to non-American travelers, Warmbier’s story often serves as a deterrent, or at the very least, a cautionary tale. However, those in the know insist that North Korea is safe, albeit with certain stipulations.
“The one thing I always say is if you do want to come, be sure that you are prepared to show respect. Don’t talk, listen,” says Gareth Johnson, founder of Young Pioneer Tours, a company that takes tour groups to North Korea, among other destinations.
“When we see the statues of the leaders, we bow—you show respect to the leaders,” he offers as an example. “It doesn’t have to be sycophantic, but you’re expected not to openly criticize them.” Young Pioneer Tours reviews this and other etiquette with travelers before the trip so they know what to expect. The only other rule is that travelers must visit with a guide and not wander off alone. But, Johnson adds: “It’s a lot more relaxed than it sounds.”
The First Tourists Back Into North Korea
Johnson was one of the first non-Russian foreigners to enter the country since the pandemic, first as part of the team negotiating the reopening of tourism in North Korea. Once he learned there was the possibility of borders opening, Johnson rushed to meet his North Korean tourism partners and “push [tourism] through.” This effort was ultimately successful, and in February, Johnson led the first group of non-Russian tourists in five years into North Korea.
Since its founding in 2008, Young Pioneer Tours has brought hundreds of travelers to North Korea, fielding bookings from tourists hailing from all over the world, including former Eastern Bloc countries. “There’s an almost nostalgic element for them,” Johnson says about these travelers, who are interested in seeing what life is like under conditions similar to those they or their family members experienced in communist states. Most of the tourists Young Pioneer Tours takes to North Korea, though, are curious Westerners. “We bring in regular people who want to see what it’s all about.” Many of these travelers are also what Johnson calls “country collectors.”
One such country collector is Wendy Arbeit, an American traveling on a German passport who was the very first of her group to cross the border into North Korea on February 20. This was a momentous occasion, not only because she was the first non-Russian tourist to enter North Korea since 2020, but also because this marked the end of Arbeit’s quest to visit all 195 countries.
As someone who’s been to every country in the world, Arbeit has an interesting take on what makes North Korea unique: “People don’t really look at you—you definitely stand out, obviously, but people didn’t engage.”
What It’s Like to Visit North Korea
The experience travelers have in North Korea varies depending on where they go. In Pyongyang, North Korea’s main tourism destination, visitors can explore the city’s main avenue and see major landmarks like Kim Il Sung Square, recognizable from images of North Korea’s military parades. Other highlights include the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, the mosaics of President Kim II Sung and Leader Kim Jon II in Mansudae Fountain Park, and the bronze statues of these two leaders that preside over the city. Although many of the tourism activities in Pyongyang involve visiting monuments and historical sites, there are also opportunities to hike, eat Korean barbecue, and get a taste of daily life in the mysterious country.
When North Korea reopened earlier this year, however, visitors were allowed only in Rason, the country’s Special Economic Zone, which was developed for experimentation with capitalist principles. Because the city is one of the least visited in North Korea, its tourism activities are somewhat quirkier than those of Pyongyang, such as opening a North Korean debit card, exchanging money at black market rates, visiting the spot where North Korea borders both China and Russia, or drinking beer with locals at Tumangang, the city’s new craft brewery. In Rason, the draw for curious travelers is learning more about what makes North Korea tick beyond Pyongyang, the country’s grand façade.
Throughout their stay in North Korea, travelers can expect to enjoy fresh Korean cuisine and comfortable accommodations. After all, the country is strategic in what it shows to travelers—in some ways, the real story is what you can read between the lines!
How Dangerous Is North Korea?
Despite some “trepidation” before the trip, Arbeit says she was surprised that North Korea didn’t feel dangerous at all. “There’s no theft, there’s no sketchiness about it, everything’s super clean,” she says. Arbeit compares her experience in North Korea to visiting countries like Somalia, where she remembers feeling on edge while accompanied by a security team of machine-gun-clad soldiers. In North Korea, Arbeit only saw soldiers at the border crossing.
North Korea is labeled Do Not Travel on the U.S. Department of State’s website, the fourth (and most serious) of four levels of travel advisories. This is due to “the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals,” the reason Americans aren’t allowed to enter on a U.S. passport in the first place. But Arbeit isn’t new to visiting countries she’s been warned away from. “I’ve been to some places in the world that are on the State Department warning lists and people say are dangerous, but I always try to go and see for myself. I don’t let the warning stop me,” she says.
The Return of Tourism
Although no one really knows if and when North Korea will reopen, tour operators are hopeful it might be sometime soon. Johnson is just as stumped about the short-lived return of tourism as anyone: “But the one thing I know after 17 years of doing business in North Korea,” he says, “is that in essence, I know nothing.”
For now, travelers who are curious to experience North Korea can only wait patiently for tourism to resume and reflect on whether they’re comfortable going to a destination with such strict expectations of both its citizens and visitors. Arbeit has some advice: “If you go, don’t go with the intention of stirring things up. Follow the rules—that’s not the place to be funny or try anything. You just toe the line, have a good time, and leave.”
