By Emmanuel Nduka
According to Chinese state media, North Korea will begin to allow foreign nationals to enter its country from Monday, September 25, after over three years of COVID-induced isolation.
The country has been largely closed off from the outside world since early 2020, after it shut its borders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with even its own nationals prevented from entering.
North Korea is now showing signs of re-opening, with leader Kim Jong Un travelling to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin, and sending athletes to compete in the Asian Games in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou.
Citing a reporter, Beijing’s state broadcaster CCTV said Monday that North Korea had announced it would allow foreigners to enter its territory.
The Chinese report added that the process will however be subject to a two-day quarantine upon arrival, but did not give further information about the source of the announcement.
Meanwhile, North Korean state media did not carry any news of a border reopening.
A Chinese operator of tours to North Korea, Dandong Strait National Tours, told followers on social media site WeChat: “At the moment tours haven’t resumed. Wait patiently.”
