For five brief days in February 2025, the world witnessed something it hadn’t seen in more than half a decade: Western tourists inside North Korea. From February 20th to 24th, 13 carefully selected travelers from countries like the UK, Canada, France, and Germany entered the reclusive state—not by air, but via a tightly controlled overland route from China. The destination? The special economic zone of Rason, nestled near the tripoint border between China, Russia, and North Korea.
This seemingly small development carried massive geopolitical implications. It wasn’t just a rare chance for outsiders to glimpse inside the world’s most secretive country; it was also a fleeting experiment that North Korea swiftly shut down—again.
North Korea’s Pandemic-Induced Isolation
North Korea has always leaned toward extreme isolation, but the COVID-19 pandemic supercharged it. On January 21, 2020, North Korea became the first country in the world to completely seal its borders. The move effectively froze all tourism—a sector that, prior to the pandemic, had actually been thriving. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visited annually, generating hundreds of millions in revenue.
But for more than five years, that door stayed shut. No Westerners entered. No one knew when—or if—it would open again.
Then, suddenly in February 2025, the door cracked open—just a little.
The Rason Tourism Experiment
The 13 Westerners allowed into Rason were not American. They were from nations that included Germany, Italy, Greece, and Australia. Their visit was confined to a tightly regulated tour of the Rason area. No freedom to roam. No trips to Pyongyang. Just a curated experience near the Chinese and Russian borders.
Yet this was enough to make headlines—and, perhaps more importantly for North Korea, to go viral online.
Within days, YouTube videos from the visitors began to rack up millions of views. From Michael K’s 7.8 million-view exploration to Ojwasjtech’s 4.6 million-view upload, the global appetite to peek behind North Korea’s curtain was voracious.
The regime, it appears, was not amused.
Why North Korea Shut the Door Again—So Quickly
Just weeks after the brief reopening, in early March, North Korea reimposed its blanket ban on Western tourism with no timeline for a return.
Two key factors explain why.
1. The Power of Social Media
Unlike in 2019 and before, when North Korean tourism was documented on obscure blogs or niche documentaries, today’s visitors wield smartphones with 4K cameras and platforms like TikTok and YouTube that deliver instant reach.
The regime can no longer easily control the narrative.
In 2025, every tourist is a potential journalist. Every video is a potential diplomatic embarrassment. And the Rason experiment proved it.
2. Fear of Leaks About Military Secrets
North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war on Ukraine is perhaps the most closely guarded secret in the country today. Thousands of North Korean soldiers have been deployed as de facto mercenaries. Many have died, and few civilians in North Korea are aware of this.
The Rason zone, located just a few kilometers from the port used to send troops to Russia, created too great a risk that tourists might learn—and accidentally (or deliberately) reveal—this explosive information to locals.
Even a benign comment like wishing for “world peace” in a guestbook at the North Korea–Russia Friendship House was enough to spark alarm.
Russia: North Korea’s Only Tourism Partner
Since 2024, Russian tourists have been the only foreigners allowed entry. The two countries have grown increasingly close: Russia gets munitions and troops for its war in Ukraine; North Korea receives cash, tech, and political support.
Despite this, fewer than 900 Russian tourists visited North Korea in 2024—far from the millions that once visited from China.
But quantity isn’t the point anymore. Control is.
A Billion-Dollar Investment in Tourism—Now Wasted?
Ironically, all this is happening even as North Korea has spent billions trying to upgrade its tourism infrastructure.
Massive projects like:
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The Samjiyon Ski Resort
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The Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Resort
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A brand-new airport
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The infamous Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, a 330-meter monolith still without guests after 37 years of construction
…were all designed with the hopes of luring big tourism numbers—and hard currency—back to the country.
In 2019, tourism brought in an estimated $175 million from Chinese tourists alone.
But North Korea’s new partnership with Russia in arms trading is projected to bring in up to $5.5 billion, making tourism look like a rounding error in comparison.
A History of Tourism Disasters
North Korea’s tourism track record is filled with failure. From the never-finished Ryugyong Hotel to the Mount Kumgang resort (once visited by nearly 2 million South Koreans before a tragic shooting in 2008 ended it), nearly every major initiative has ended in collapse or isolationist backtracking.
Even the world’s first floating hotel—once part of the Mount Kumgang resort—ended up scrapped in 2022 after years of abandonment.
What Lies Ahead?
With the massive Wonsan-Kalma beach resort scheduled to open in summer 2025, there’s speculation that the regime is laying groundwork for a return to tourism—someday.
But as long as North Korea’s military and economic priorities lie with Russia, and as long as smartphone-carrying tourists pose risks to regime secrecy, the chance of large-scale Western tourism remains slim.
North Korea is trapped in a paradox: tourism brings money, but also ideas. And ideas are dangerous in a totalitarian state.
FAQ: Visiting North Korea in 2025
Can I visit North Korea as a tourist right now?
No—unless you’re Russian, North Korea is currently closed to all foreign tourists.
Why did North Korea reopen briefly in 2025?
To test a tightly controlled return to tourism in the Rason Special Economic Zone. The trial lasted just 5 days and involved only 13 visitors.
Is North Korea involved in the war in Ukraine?
Yes. North Korea has supplied arms and even soldiers to Russia, which has brought in billions in revenue for the regime.
What happened to tourism during the pandemic?
North Korea fully sealed its borders on January 21, 2020, and remained shut to outsiders until the brief reopening in February 2025.
Can American citizens visit North Korea?
Since 2017, U.S. passports are not valid for travel to North Korea without special State Department authorization.
What was the Ryugyong Hotel supposed to be?
The tallest hotel in the world. Instead, it became the tallest abandoned building on Earth and is now used as a massive LED propaganda billboard.
Conclusion: A Nation Torn Between Secrecy and Survival
North Korea’s brief experiment with Western tourism in 2025 highlighted the regime’s impossible balancing act. It craves foreign cash but fears foreign influence. It courts global curiosity but panics when outsiders see too much.
While billion-dollar resorts sit largely empty, North Korea’s war exports to Russia keep the lights on—for now. But as long as the cost of truth outweighs the value of tourism, North Korea’s doors will likely remain closed.
