North Korea briefly re-opened its borders after a five-year hiatus—but it might open again later this year. Which begs the question: is it safe to go?

In modern times, North Korea is the closest we get to a destination sealed off behind an Iron Curtain. The country’s authoritarian leaders have isolated North Korea from the rest of the world, depriving its citizens of access to the internet and news beyond that which the government approves. Such isolation might make North Korea an alluring travel destination, but for the past five years, the country has been more than just isolated—it’s been completely out of reach. Since halting tourism in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, North Korea has remained closed to foreign visitors, long outlasting other countries’ pandemic-prompted border clos

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