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North Korea may reopen to international travel by the end of 2024, two major travel agencies with ties to the country said on Monday, nearly five years after it closed its borders due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Two major travel agencies catering to foreign tourists said they had received news from their North Korean partners that tourism would be opened in December 2024. Koryo Tours said in a statement that the first destination to be opened would be Samjiyon, near the Chinese border, and that it might be expanded to other areas later. KTG Tours also said on social media that it had learned that tourists would be able to go to Samjiyon starting this winter.

Koryo Travel said, "We have received confirmation from local partners that tourism to Samjiyon and other parts of North Korea will officially resume in December 2024." The statement added that the itinerary and further details will be finalized "in the coming weeks."

KTG Tours also said in another Facebook post that specific dates for the tours are yet to be confirmed. "So far, only Samjiyon has been mentioned, but we think Pyongyang and other places will be open too!"

Samjiyon borders China's Jilin Province and is close to the highest peak of the Korean Peninsula, Mount Paektu (the name of Changbai Mountain by the Koreans), and is one of North Korea's famous attractions. North Korea claims that this is the birthplace of the late North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Il.