As of: February 15, 2024, 5:14 a.m
By: Sandra Kathe
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Press
Split
Before the pandemic, around 5,000 Western travelers a year went to North Korea on guided trips.
Now the country is opening its borders again.
Moscow - After the resumption of travel across the country's borders, which have been closed for a good four years due to the pandemic, Russian state television is praising North Korea as a travel destination in the highest tones.
For example,
BBC
correspondent Francis Scarr shared a video clip on the short message service X in which Russian travelers spoke of “great ski slopes” and “beautiful beaches.”
Numerous international media, including the
AFP
news agency , reported last week about a Russian tour group that was probably the first to visit the country after the border closure due to corona.
According to a report from the
NK News
portal , in addition to a visit to the capital Pyongyang, the program also included a trip to the Masikryong ski resort on the country's east coast.
The Mansudae monument in Pyongyang is a must for travelers to North Korea and is only permitted with officially appointed tour guides.
© Handout/AFP
Russian state television and Foreign Minister Lavrov praise North Korea as a travel destination
The visit of almost a hundred travelers from Russia was also captured by the Russian media in order to use the resulting images to present North Korea as an alternative travel destination.
Because of the war in Ukraine, it has become more difficult for Russian citizens to enter the USA or Europe.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov then recommended North Korea as a possible travel destination to the state news agency
Tass
.
Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have also become closer since the start of the Ukraine war.
In addition to rumors about possible arms deliveries from North Korea to Russia and planned humanitarian aid for North Korea from the Russian side, there was a rare foreign visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Russia.
According to reports, an invitation for Vladimir Putin to North Korea is currently pending.
Strict rules for traveling to North Korea: Under what conditions you are allowed to visit the country
Experts such as the President of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, Yang Moo Jin, also see the high-profile trip as evidence of the “revival of exchanges and cooperation in various areas between the two countries” and a declaration of intent for an early visit by the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang.
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Before the border closure due to corona, German travelers and media professionals repeatedly visited the country and reported on strict rules.
Travelers are only allowed to move through the country in groups and accompanied by a North Korean tour guide, leader statues are only allowed to be photographed as a whole and not in close-up, photos and videos that leave the country on cell phones would be approved by the military.
(saka with AFP)