North Korea to grant visas to Israeli tourists

An Israeli tourism company said Sunday it has an exclusive agreement to issue tourist visas for North Korea, the secretive state under Western scrutiny for its provocative missile tests, nuclear program, and dire human rights violations.

Rimon Tours, via its subsidiary Tarbutu, will offer trips staring from the spring and summer.

“North Korea is without question one of the most fascinating countries in the world today,” said Tarbutu program manager Haim Peres in a statement. “It is a closed country cut off from the world, including its neighbors. More is unknown than known about the country.”

Tarbutu estimated only 100 Israelis have visited North Korea on organized trips in the past. Until now, Israelis seeking visas would apply for entry through Chinese tour agencies. Under the new agreement, KISTC, a North Korean travel agency will issue visas for Israelis.

The company has four tours planned for April – May 2017, and reassured would-be travelers that tourism in North Korea was not affected by the country’s military and nuclear research programs that have drawn sharp criticism and concern in the West, especially from the United States.

On Sunday, South Korea’s military said that North Korea fired a projectile into its eastern sea, a likely effort to advance its weapons program. The country conducted two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket launches last year in continued efforts to expand its atomic weapons and missile programs.

Although Israel has no formal ties with North Korea, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was not discouraging Israelis from visiting the country.

“There is no travel warning for North Korea, and no specific ban on traveling there,” the ministry said. “We of course recommend extreme caution, since there are no diplomatic relations with North Korea, but it is not classified as an enemy country.”

However, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson told The Times of Israel that North Korea is under sanctions imposed by the United Nations and that visitors to the country should be careful to not violate any of the UN measures, in particular regarding business and financial transactions with North Korean entities covered by the sanctions.

Although tourists can apply directly for visas, journalists and citizens of South Korea cannot get tourist visas and must lodge a special request with the North Korean authorities.

Visitors can bring their cellphones and laptop computers with them, but the electronic devices can only be used on local networks that are restricted to websites within the country. International communication is only available at hotels, the company cautioned, and photography is prohibited in some areas, usually around military installations.

Dollars, euros, and Chinese yuan can be all used in North Korea, but tourists are not permitted to make purchases with the local currency, the Won. As there are no ATMs or money conversion stalls, tourists need to bring their cash with them. Crime is not a concern, according to Tarbutu.

“North Korea is proud about having one of the world’s lowest crime rates, and tourists feel very safe there,” the company said.

The tour packages are in the $3,850-$4,150 range, according to a report from the Globes website. The price does not include spending money, insurance, or tourist visas to China.

North Korea strictly enforces sometimes draconian laws relating to what it sees as propaganda issues. In March 2016, US student Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor for stealing a propaganda banner from a tourist hotel in Pyongyang.

Agencies contributed to this report.