North Korea Will Reopen Its Borders To Foreign Tourists But Malaysians Are Actually Banned

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According to announcements made by two travel tour companies yesterday, 14 August, the isolated country will welcome group tours to the city of Samjiyon, which is located near Mount Paektu.

KTG Tours, based in Shenyang, China, said that the exact dates of the tour will be confirmed soon.

"So far, just Samjiyon has been officially confirmed but we think that Pyongyang and other places will open too!" the company wrote in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, in a separate Facebook post, Beijing-based Koryo Tours also said that the itinerary, dates, prices, and further details were in the process of being finalised and will be announced in "the coming days and weeks".

The mountainous city of Samjiyon sits on the Chinese border and is reputed to be the birthplace of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. It is also home to the majestic Mount Paektu, an active volcano that holds immense historical and cultural importance for both North and South Koreans, as it is revered as the birthplace of the Korean nation.

This reopening marks the first time in nearly five years that the secluded country has allowed international tourism, following its closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a statement by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, published on 18 September 2017, all Malaysian citizens have been banned from entering the secluded country, citing escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula and related developments arising from missile tests as reasons.

A few months prior, Malaysia's relationship with North Korea had soured following the killing of Kim Jong-nam, North Korea's premier Kim Jong-un's estranged brother, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February 2017.

In March 2021, North Korea announced that it would sever its diplomatic ties with Malaysia after Malaysia's highest court approved the extradition of a North Korean businessman, Mun Chol-myong, to the US to face charges of money laundering, reported The Diplomat.