In this image made from video provided by Koryo Tours, tourist group get briefing from North Korean host at Namsan Hotel in Rason, North Korea, Feb. 20. AP-Yonhap

North Korea has abruptly suspended the entry of foreign tourists after reopening foreign tourism for the first time in about five years following COVID-19, according to tour agencies Thursday.

Koryo Tours, a China-based agency specializing in North Korean tours, said on its website the previous day that "We have been informed that our tours to Rason are temporarily closed."

The company described the situation as "unprecedented," adding it will provide further updates as soon as more information becomes available, without explaining the cause of the suspension.

The same day, Young Pioneer Tours (YPT), another China-based agency, also announced the suspension of its tours to Rason, a northeastern special economic zone in North Korea, on its Facebook account.

"We have been advised by our partners in the DPRK that tours to Rason are currently paused. We are in the process of clarifying how this will impact your upcoming trips," YPT said, referring to North Korea by its official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

It advised those planning tours in April and May to refrain from booking flights until more information becomes available.

Late last month, Western tourists began arriving in Rason for group tours, as North Korea reopened tourism to foreigners for the first time since imposing COVID-19 border controls in early 2020.

Since September 2023, only Russians had been allowed into North Korea for limited group tours after the North resumed the local entry of foreigners.

The recent reopening of Rason to foreign tourists has sparked speculation that the reclusive country may open other areas to foreign tourism.

Tourism catering to foreigners remains a source of foreign currency for North Korea, which is heavily sanctioned by the international community for its nuclear and missile programs. It also serves as a tool for the country's propaganda aimed at outsiders.

The sudden halt to foreign tourism follows openly negative reviews about North Korea made by tourists who recently visited Rason.

A German traveler told the media after visiting Rason in late February that North Koreans made little effort to conceal poverty from foreign tourists, while a British YouTuber described the extreme control he witnessed in North Korea.

Such negative reviews spreading globally may have prompted North Korea to suspend foreign tourism that could expose its internal conditions to the world.

The suspension could also be partially attributed to the lack of resumption of Chinese mass group tours to North Korea, which, being geographically close and larger in numbers, is the major revenue source for North Korea's tour industry. (Yonhap)