Russia: "600 North Korean Tourists Passed Through Vladivostok in 6 Months"

Since the resumption of tourism to North Korea from Russia last February, it has been reported that about 600 people visited North Korea over the past six months.

On the 3rd (local time), Natalya Naboychenko, the Minister of Tourism of Primorsky Krai in Russia, told TASS, "In just six months since last February, about 600 tourists have visited North Korea through travel agencies in Primorsky Krai."

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, who made a state visit to North Korea, are toasting at a state banquet held in Pyongyang on June 19. [Image source=Yonhap News]

She explained that 75% of the tourists who visited North Korea came from other regions of Russia such as Leningrad, Sakhalin, Kaliningrad, Novosibirsk, Ryazan, Moscow, Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, and Belgorod. The tourists mainly traveled to Pyongyang or Rason in North Korea, and last summer, Russian youth visited the Songdowon International Children's Camp.

Minister Natalya Naboychenko understood that Vladivostok in Primorsky Krai has become a hub for travel to North Korea because residents from various regions of Russia travel to North Korea through Vladivostok International Airport. She also explained that there is high demand for railway travel among tourists visiting Rason, which is close to Vladivostok, and efforts are being made to operate regular trains.

Earlier, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported in July that a train carrying Russian tourists departed from Hassan Station in Russia and entered North Korea. Russia has sent group tourists to North Korea since last February. This is the first time North Korea has accepted foreign tourists since it closed its borders in January 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.