On Sunday (August 27), North Korea’s state media reported that the nation is taking measures to gradually emerge from the stringent isolation imposed during the Covid pandemic. Reportedly, citizens residing abroad will now be permitted to return to the country.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a state-run outlet, conveyed an announcement from the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters stating that “citizens abroad have been granted permission to come back home.”
The report further detailed that those returning will undergo a proper medical observation period in quarantine facilities for a week. This decision has been attributed to the improving global pandemic situation.
In response to the pandemic’s onset in early 2020, North Korea had sealed its borders. However, current indications suggest a shift towards reopening.
In the past month, foreign officials from China and Russia attended a military parade in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang. This marked the first instance of foreign dignitaries visiting the nation in years.
Furthermore, a delegation of athletes was authorized to participate in a taekwondo competition held in Kazakhstan. Notably, the state-run airline, Air Koryo, resumed its first international commercial flight after a hiatus of three years. This flight successfully landed in Beijing on a recent Tuesday.
Tracking data indicated that another Air Koryo flight departed for Pyongyang shortly after 1 pm.
The Chinese foreign ministry was cited by AFP as having approved the reinstatement of commercial air travel between Pyongyang and Beijing. Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, conveyed during a regular briefing, “During the summer and autumn flight season… the Chinese side approved flight plans for passengers such as the Pyongyang-Beijing and Beijing-Pyongyang routes of Air Koryo.”
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