Demand for tours to North Korea among Russian travelers has grown by 10-15% over the past year,  the Russian Union of Tourism Industry (RUST) reported.  According to Inna Mukhina, RUST expert and director of the Vladivostok-based tour operator Vostok-Intour, July set a new record with 500 tourists taking various air and rail tours.

North Korea, considered the most closed country in the world, opened to Russians in 2024. A year later, in the third quarter of 2025, Russian tourist traffic there reached a historic high – 3,460 tourists visited the republic.