Taking a drastically different direction from its southern counterpart following World War II, North Korea under the rule of the Kim dynasty remains one of the most closed-off and dangerous nations in the world for Western travelers.
Most countries have kept the northern part of the Korean Peninsula under a “do not travel” advisory for decades. Stories like that of Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old Ohio student who died after months spent in a vegetative state following his arrest on a group tour, led the U.S. State Department in 2017 to issue a full ban on using a U.S. passport to enter the country.
Even so, some Western tourists were previously able to enter North Korea through a limited number of guided tours from China or South Korea.
N. Korea denies entry to those with “American nationality alongside another passport”
With some of these tours now restarting after the full shutdown for the Covid pandemic, the North Korean government officially reversed its prior policy by stating that Americans cannot use a passport from another country to cross the border.
Prior to the shutdown in 2020, some Americans with dual nationality had circumvented the U.S. travel ban and joined tours typically run for British and European citizens.
Related: First trains to North Korea will restart after 6 years
“The restriction comes into effect immediately with applicants being checked for any links to U.S. citizenship during the visa approval process,” Young Pioneer Tours, a Beijing-based company specializing in tours to North Korea, wrote in a blog post. “Individuals found to hold American nationality alongside another passport will no longer be granted permission to enter.”
It is not immediately clear how North Korea will determine that a tour participant also has an American passport if they do not present it during the application process. Failing to disclose U.S. nationality would, however, mean entering under false pretenses, putting the traveler at significant risk of persecution in a country known for anti-democratic practices.
“The situation remains fluid and may evolve before tourism to North Korea resumes”
“At this stage, the policy appears to affect all dual national Americans irrespective of their country of secondary citizenship,” Young Pioneers writes further.
“[…] As this is a breaking development, the situation remains fluid and may evolve before tourism to North Korea resumes.”
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Since 2024, a limited number of travel companies taking Western tourists to North Korea have been granted permission to operate following the complete closure of the country in 2020.
Last March, a China Railways train route between Beijing and Pyongyang that was first launched in 1954 began running four times a week following the same six-year pause.
This route is currently accessible only to North Korean and Chinese residents with documentation of studying or working in the other country. The North Korean government’s push to restart international tours does, however, signal that this train route could also soon be opened up to international tourists from countries other than the U.S.
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