Chinese authorities have implemented heavy restrictions on local companies running trips into North Korea ahead of Trump’s state visit.
■ The North Korean city of Sinuiju as seen from Dandong, China
According to Reuters, tour companies operating out of the border city of Dandong have been told by the local tourism bureau that they are prohibited from operating longer tours to Pyongyang and other areas of North Korea.
"It was very unexpected, we had no idea this was going to happen until we received the notification today," a Chinese tour operator said.
■ Train from Pyongyang N.Korea to Dandong China
While the new restriction prohibits trips deeper into North Korea, local operators have confirmed that they are still permitted to run day trips to Sinuiju, the North Korean city directly across the river from Dandong.
■ North Korea as seen from China
Similarly, the restrictions only appear to be in place for Chinese tour operators, with international operators confirming that they are still able to run trips to North Korea through Dandong.
“Whilst the Chinese authorities are halting Chinese tour groups from entering Pyongyang city in the DPRK, Western tourists are still given the green light and we will continue to take in tourists,” Rowan Beard a tour manager at the budget travel company Young Pioneer Tours said.
Earlier this year the United States also implemented a travel ban against North Korea forbidding citizens from visiting the region. While a small number of Americans visit North Korea every year, tens of thousands of Chinese citizens make the trip across the river, meaning a prolonged Chinese tourism ban could have lasting negative effects on the country’s economy.
■ Kangyang train station as seen from China
The reason behind the ban so far remains a mystery with neither the Dandong Tourism Bureau nor China’s foreign ministry immediately replying to Reuters’ request for comment.
“It’s low season right now, but that’s unlikely to be the reason,” a Dandong-based tourism source said.
It’s much more likely to be connected to increasing sanctions against North Korea. We’ll have to wait and see what happens once Trump leaves China. Maybe they will loosen the rules but it’s very hard to say. This is all connected to the growing tensions.
Source: SHEx
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