"King crab is 3,000 won per 500 grams; just eating it makes the trip worthwhile"... Chinese flock to North Korea on 'fake business trips'

North Korea Business Inspection Packages Promoted
Visits to a Brewery and Other Sites, Plus Free Time

Chinese travel agencies are reportedly recruiting tourists for “business inspection” programs to North Korea’s Rason Special Economic Zone, effectively promoting them as tourism packages by another name.

A video of Russian YouTuber Aleksandr Losev's trip to North Korea. The in-flight booklet contains propaganda material about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. YouTube

According to Yonhap News on Oct. 16, packages combining inspections of factories and commercial facilities in Rason with sightseeing are being actively promoted online and offline, mainly in areas bordering North Korea, including Dandong in China’s Liaoning Province and Yanji in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin Province.

A Chinese travel agency representative said inquiries about joining the tours had surged as interest in resuming exchanges and tourism between North Korea and China grew following the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge.

The New Yalu River Bridge is a four-lane, 3,026-meter-long bridge. Its opening was delayed due to delays in the construction of facilities on the North Korean side and strained relations between the two countries. It officially opened on the 15th, 12 years after construction was completed.

When asked about travel to North Korea, a travel agency in Yanji recommended a four-night, five-day business inspection package costing 5,999 yuan (about 1.2 million won).

Another program, a three-night, four-day package priced at 3,000 yuan (about 600,000 won), was also on sale. It focuses on visiting Rason’s agricultural and industrial complexes and examining their technological capabilities, as well as holding in-depth consultations and discussions with North Korean government officials about investment projects.

Dandong residents gather beneath the New Yalu River Bridge, which connects Sinuiju, North Korea, and Dandong, China, on the morning of the 15th, when the bridge opened. Yonhap News.

The four-night, five-day package begins with a gathering in Hunchun, China, on the first day, followed by entry into Rason, North Korea, via the Quanhe Port of Entry on the second day. The itinerary then includes a roundtable with government officials, visits to a beer factory, a paper factory, and a wholesale shoe market, as well as free time for sightseeing.

A travel agency representative promoting the package online said, “Seafood in Rason is especially cheap. Live king crab costs about 15 yuan (about 3,000 won) per 500 grams,” adding, “Even if you have nothing else to do, just eating seafood makes the trip worthwhile.”

Participants in the package need a passport, a health certificate, and a business license, among other documents. The travel agency said it could assist with obtaining some of the documents and that the inspection fee includes the cost of issuing an invitation letter from North Korea.

However, invitation letters are issued only to holders of mainland Chinese passports aged 18 to 65 who have not visited an African country within the past six months.

The travel agency representative added that departures in October were already fully booked and that an early November departure might be possible depending on recruitment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.