North Korea will begin accepting foreign tourists again in the northeastern city of Samjion in December, and possibly the rest of the country, travel agencies said today.

The move is a sign that the country is preparing to reopen its borders to larger groups of foreign tourists after years of strict border controls due to the COVID pandemic.

“We have received confirmations from our local partner that tourism in Samjion and possibly the rest of the country, will officially start again in December 2024,” Beijing-based travel company Koryo Tours said on its website.

International flights to and from North Korea resumed last year, and a small group of Russian tourists took a private tour of North Korea in February. High-ranking foreign officials, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, have also visited the country.

But North Korea has not fully opened its gates to foreign tourists since 2020.

“After more than four years of waiting for this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited about the re-opening of North Korean tourism,” the company said, adding that its local partner would confirm routes and dates in the coming weeks.

North Korea is building what it calls a “socialist utopia” in Samjieong, a city near the Chinese border and a “model civilized mountain city” with new apartments, hotels, a ski resort as well as commercial, cultural and medical facilities.