After nearly five years of strict Covid-19 border controls, North Korea is resuming international tourism this year.

Although private tours from Russia began in February, only a small group of tourists flew to North Korea.

According to Beijing-based travel agency, Koryo Tours, “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.” Similarly, Shenyang’s KTG Tours wrote on its Facebook page that they believe “Pyongyang and other places will open too!!!”

North Korean state media revealed that Samjiyon, a city called a “socialist utopia” situated near the Chinese border, has been redeveloped in recent years, with plans to rebuild its airport, convert a military ski base into a resort and build new railways and hotels in order to “revitalize international tourism.”

However, apart from South Koreans who are not allowed to enter as tourists, the U.S. also bans its citizens from traveling to North Korea.

South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, unveiled plans to provide North Koreans with more information about the outside world as part of the “Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine,” a revised inter-Korean unification vision.

The doctrine focuses on challenging North Korea’s regime and influencing its people to accept the idea of unification based on the principles of freedom, which Yoon’s government hopes to achieve by continuing its propaganda campaign using various tools, including improving North Koreans’ right of access to information.

Yoon also pledged to establish a North Korea freedom and human rights fund to actively support nongovernmental activities that promote freedom and human rights in the country while continuing to try to provide humanitarian aid to the North.

The idea of an “Inter-Korean Working Group” was also proposed by Yoon to create a working-level dialogue channel to address matters affecting the two Koreas.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed that North Korean athletes did not receive the special edition of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphones that were gifts to all athletes participating in the Paris Olympics.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry declared that “smartphones are classified as prohibited under UN Security Council Resolution 2397,” thus North Korean athletes receiving the smartphones in Paris does not violate UN sanctions per se, but bringing them back to North Korea would.

A former Associated Press journalist, Jean H. Lee, explained that the UN bans an extensive list of items from entering North Korea as they could be used “for a nefarious purpose,” for example, baby food can be repurposed for biochemical weapons.

During the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, North Korean athletes had refused to accept smartphones offered by the organizing committee altogether.

North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, reaffirmed a pledge to deepen cooperation with Russia in a message to President Vladimir Putin, as the country celebrated the anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japan’s colonial rule.

Kim stressed the “invincible comradeship” of their countries and told Putin that Russia’s victory was assured in this “sacred war,” without referring to Ukraine by name, while the Russian leader said the bond forged as Soviet soldiers fought against Japan continues to serve as the basis of their ties.

This exchange came after Putin’s last visit to Pyongyang when the two leaders announced a partnership treaty that offers each other military assistance “without delay” if either were attacked.

North Korea has allegedly been supplying Russia with rockets and missiles in return for economic and other military assistance.