North Korea opens doors to Western tourists for trade fair, but bars journalists and influencers

A booth promoting beverages at the Pyongyang International Trade Fair. Captured from Young Pioneer Tours' website

A China-based North Korea travel agency is recruiting Western tourists for an international trade fair in Pyongyang this October, but is explicitly banning journalists, content creators and influencers from participating.

Young Pioneer Tours, a tour operator specializing in travel to North Korea, announced on its website Sunday that it is accepting applications for a seven-night, eight-day trip to Pyongyang from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1.

Although North Korea has not officially reopened its borders to general tourism since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said it will offer travel visas for those attending the Pyongyang International Trade Fair, framing the opportunity as a rare exception.

The tour includes visits to major landmarks such as Kim Il Sung Square and the USS Pueblo, along with attendance at the opening and closing ceremonies of the fair. A possible excursion to Mount Myohyang is also included in the itinerary — which, if realized, would mark the first visit by Western tourists to the mountain region since North Korea sealed its borders in early 2020.

However, the agency said that “journalists, travel content creators and influencers are not permitted to join this tour,” citing the exhibition organizers’ guidelines.

The restriction follows a short-lived attempt earlier this year to reopen tourism in the Rason Economic Zone. In February, North Korea allowed a small group of Western tourists to visit the zone for the first time in five years, only to abruptly halt the program weeks later.

The decision reportedly came after some influencers shared candid accounts of life inside the country on social media, prompting authorities to reassess foreign media exposure.

This article is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.