A tourist viewpoint that overlooks the North Korean city of Namyang, next to the Tumen River in the city of Tumen in China's northeast Jilin province, Feb. 26. AFP-Yonhap

For Zhang Yue, a 29-year-old marketing specialist from Fuzhou in southeastern China, news reports about North Korea have painted a picture of a country vastly different from other travel destinations, prompting her to consider visiting to gain a deeper understanding of the nation.

"I think many people have stereotypes about traveling there with worries about whether it's dangerous, or view it as a somewhat 'special' or 'niche' destination for something like an adventurous experience," she said. "I hope to have the opportunity to see it with my own eyes."

Like Zhang, many Chinese people who haven't visited North Korea find the country an intriguing destination, so close yet so far. This allure seems to be driving their interest in traveling there.

In August, news that North Korea will resume foreign tourism in December, starting with the northern area of Samjiyon near Mount Paektu, captured widespread media attention. Announcements by China-based travel agencies Koryo Tours and KTG Tours were swiftly reported by Chinese media and picked up by various online influencers.

On Chinese social media platforms, many who have visited North Korea shared photos from their previous trips and recounted their experiences, while those who haven't visited expressed their curiosity as the main reason for their interest in visiting the country.

Some others also expressed disinterest, citing concerns about safety and restrictions during tours, such as the designated routes and constraints on interacting with locals.

"You won't see the real North Korea. The areas allowed for tourism are all isolated zones, pretty much like a film set. Going there or not is meaningless," one wrote on social media platform Weibo.

Before the pandemic, North Korea was a popular destination for Chinese tourists, attracting about 200,000 visitors in 2018, accounting for 90 percent of all foreign tourists to the country, according to a report from Chinese state media Global Times. In 2019, more than 350,000 Chinese tourists are estimated to have visited North Korea, setting a new record, according to NK News reports.

Previous typical itineraries included departures from the border city of Dandong in northeastern China's Liaoning province by train or bus to North Korea, or a flight from Beijing to Pyongyang. Popular tourist attractions include Kim Il Sung Square and the Mansudae Grand Monument in Pyongyang, the inter-Korean border truce village of Panmunjeom and Mount Myohyang.

A travel agency's ongoing advertisement on the Chinese online travel platform Fliggy promotes a presale for tours departing from Shanghai starting Dec. 1. The itineraries feature a six-day trip that includes visits to Pyongyang's Juche Tower, Arch of Triumph, and Chollima Statue, as well as the capital's subway stations and schools, along with the city of Kaesong and the Military Demarcation Line.

Tourists from China take photos as they stand on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, one of the North Korean capital's highlights, April 14, 2019. AFP-Yonhap

In July, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Samjiyon and highlighted plans to promote international tourism.

Beijing had expressed hopes for more exchanges.

In April, Chinese envoy to North Korea Wang Yajun visited Kaesong and expressed hopes that promoting the country's historical and cultural sites could attract more Chinese tourists, aiming to "deepen tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges between China and North Korea, and enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two peoples."

Connie Xu, a 34-year-old resident of the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, who traveled North Korea in 2014 with a trip to Rajin-Sonbong that borders China, expressed her hope of visiting again. She voiced particular interest in visiting Samjiyon and Pyongyang.

For her 2014 trip, Xu traveled from the Chinese border city of Huichun and remembers her itinerary included having soup dishes for breakfast and visiting local markets where she purchased seafood. She enjoyed the local cuisine and felt a sense of nostalgia as she observed the country's similarities with China's past.

"The local buildings and fashion made me feel like I was traveling back to the 1990s," she said. "And I was impressed by the food. Simple dishes like fried eggs and soybean paste soup were really delicious when I had them in North Korea. Even after all these years, I still remember the taste, it's just like the flavors from my childhood."

Xu, an ethnic Korean in China, said her familiarity and understanding of Korean history also keeps her interested in knowing more about the country.

Others who haven't visited the country also express a strong curiosity about this reclusive regime.

Zhang said most of her understanding of North Korea comes from the news, where the common keywords include nuclear weapons and defectors, and the country's "extreme isolation."

"There's even a description of the country as like China during the Mao era," she said, referring to the time of the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

"As a younger generation whose limited understanding of that time only comes from textbooks, North Korea feels like a mirror reflecting China's past, and I want to see for myself whether it is as the news describes or if there are differences."

Amy Zhang, a 22-year-old in Guangzhou, shares similar sentiments, saying that she wants to visit the country that appears to be "very mysterious," while local people seem "quite simple and sincere" from photos. But she added that while she doesn't have concerns about safety, she is still somewhat worried about potential issues with internet access.

The mysteriousness might not appeal to everyone, however.

Sherry Wang, a 28-year-old who works in Beijing, said she has never considered visiting North Korea, particularly in light of recent news about the country's launches of trash balloons.

"The situation seems quite chaotic," she said. "I also don't have much of a specific impression of the country's tourism. I might consider visiting if I'm touring several countries altogether in East Asia but will not hope to go for a trip only to North Korea."

Vanessa Cai is a reporter with the South China Morning Post. She is currently based in Seoul, reporting for both The Korea Times and the South China Morning Post under an exchange program.