About 600 Russian tourists have visited North Korea since it reopened its borders to tourists in February following the COVID-19 pandemic, Russian state media reported.
Most of the visitors traveled to the capital, Pyongyang, and the city of Rason from the far eastern Russian region of Primorsky Krai, said the region’s tourism minister, Natalia Naboychenko, as cited by the TASS news agency.
The minister said efforts were being made to establish a regular train service between Russia and North Korea, citing high demand from Russian tourists wanting to visit Rason, which is close to the Russian far eastern city of Vladivostok.
Vladivostok has become a hub for travel to North Korea with people from other parts of Russia heading there via Vladivostok’s international airport, Naboychenko said, explaining that tourists often stay in the Russian city for a few days before traveling to North Korea.
North Korea was closed to foreign tourists for just over four years, after it sealed its borders in January 2020 to try to keep COVID-19 at bay.
In June, the Federal Customs Service of Russia said that the passenger rail service between the two countries had been restored, with 41 Russian tourists taking the train to the North.
“The first train with Russian tourists left for the DPRK through the Khasan checkpoint,” said the service at that time. “After a four-year break, Ussuri customs officers cleared the first passenger train for departure to North Korea.”
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, is North Korea’s official name.
Separately, Russia and North Korea agreed to build a new road bridge connecting their countries over the Tumen River in North Korea’s northeast, raising the prospect of a trade and tourism boost.
The agreement was made during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang on June 19. The two countries have been discussing road bridge construction since 2015, but talks ended in 2016 when the North conducted its fourth nuclear test.
In June, Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced a partnership treaty, agreeing to offer each other military assistance “without delay” if either were attacked. They also underscored their shared defiance of Western sanctions and expanded cooperation in various sectors.
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Kim also assured Putin of full support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. In his latest message in August, though not referring to Ukraine by name, Kim told Putin he was sure of Russia’s victory.
Russia has been cozying up to North Korea since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The United States says that North Korea has supplied Russia with large amounts of weapons for the war in Ukraine, in particular artillery rounds and ballistic missiles, although both Russia and North Korea deny that.
In exchange for its weapons, North Korea is suspected of getting Russian technological assistance for its space program.
Edited by Mike Firn.