Michael Slevin
April 6, 2014
INT-113-Q4910

Nation Facts:
Tourism in North Korea

Tourism in North Korea is actually a thing, which may astonish many people given the practices of its government and its views of countries abroad. The point of this short paper is to identify the issues internationally that allows, intrigues, and terrifies possible visitors to this country.

North Korea is located in East Asia, in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. The Korean Peninsula was divided into two zones in 1945 with the northern part being occupied by the Soviet Union and the southern part being occupied by the United States. The conflicting claims of sovereignty led to the Korean War in 1950 and, even though an armistice three years later committed both to a cease-fire, the two countries still remain officially at war to this day due to lack of a peace treaty.

Tourism in North Korea is organized by the state-owned Korea International Travel Company. Most tourists come from countries like China, Russia, and Japan. It is almost impossible for South Korean tourists to gain a visa to North Korea. Up until January 2010 it was almost just as impossible for United States citizens to gain access to North Korea. Previously, U.S. citizens were only allowed to visit North Korea during

the Mass Games. Even with that ban lifted less than 2500 United States tourists have visited North Korea since 1953.

Tourism is closely regulated by the government and is only allowed if booked through Korea International Travel Company. There are specific places tourists are allowed to visit and each group is accompanied by a guide or two that can speak the tourists’ native language. North Korea averages around 2,000 tourists annually and supposedly a third of those tourists lately have been American citizens. Unlike other tourists, U.S. citizens can only enter North Korea