Despite recent tensions with the West and escalating military posturing, the government of North Korea has opted to allow some Western visitors to tour the border town of Sinuiju.
Various Chinese and European news agencies are reporting that Western tourists are now being permitted to make day trips from Dandong City in China to Sinuiju. Previously only Chinese tourists were allowed to visit the town, which sits near the Chinese-North Korean border.
The opening of Sinuiju to Westerners will allow them the option of a cheap day trip to North Korea rather than a pricey multi-day itinerary, which up until now has been the only way for Western tourists to see the secretive republic.
Every year just a few thousand Westerners are permitted to visit Pyongyang via approved travel agencies; those who gain entry must adhere to strict organised itineraries in which they view monuments to North Korea’s leaders during supervised tours, and watch festival performances which extol the virtues of the republic. Visitors are expressly prohibited from wandering freely without supervision.
The timing of the opening of Sinuiju to Westerners coincides with the suspension of Chinese tours to the town. China has been locked in a diplomatic war with North Korea for weeks over its nuclear ambitions and belligerent behaviour by its leader, Kim Jong-un.
The resort town of Sinuiju offers attractions such as revolutionary monuments, mosaics, a picturesque railway station, a revolutionary museum, and the "Broken Bridge" – the former route to Dandong, which was bombed during the Korean War.
The town will no doubt be a popular destination for those seeking bragging rights, though U.S. or Japanese passport holders shouldn’t bother – citizens of those two nations are not allowed to visit.
