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Few British people visit whenNorth they are open. Korea. Those that do are usually part of an organised tour. If you decide to visit North Korea, follow the advice of your tour group and the local authorities. Failure to do so could put your personal safety at risk.

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COVID-19 lockdown

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In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the North Korean government continuesannounced tothat temporarilyall suspendair alland passengertrain routes into and out of North Korea.Korea Thewere temporarily suspended with effect from 31 January 2020. Consular support is not available from within North Korea as the British Embassy in Pyongyang ishas temporarilybeen temporarily closed due to thesetravel restrictions.restrictions Thisput meansin youplace cannotby getthe DPRK government in response to the pandemic. Limited remote consular support fromis withinavailable Northby Korea.calling (+44) (0)207 008 5000.

YouWhile cannotdaily enterlife orin leavethe capital city Pyongyang may appear calm, the security situation in North Korea throughcan thechange borderwith little notice and with Southno Koreaadvance withoutwarning specialof permission.possible actions by the North Korean authorities. This poses significant risks to British visitors and residents.

Nuclear

You testing

The level of tension on the Korean peninsula has remained high since 2017 when North Korea began a series of nuclear and missile tests.

A halt in nuclear testing of nuclear and ballistic missilemissiles tests,was announced inon 21 April 2018, but came to an end in May 2019. Testing of ballistic missiles has taken place frequently since 2019.

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• advice

  In onthe preparingpast, forsimilar travelperiods abroadof diplomatic engagement have failed to be sustained. This has led to further missile or nuclear tests and reducinga risks

• informationreturn forto women,instability LGBT+in the region. Tensions usually rise around the time of South Korean-US military exercises, notably those regularly held in spring and disabledautumn. travellers

FollowFlooding andis contactcommon FCDOin travelthe onrainy Twitterseason (July to August). See Natural disasters,

We’re Facebookno longer asking people to register with us before travel. Our foreign travel checklist and Instagramcrisis overseas page. suggest things you can do before and during foreign travel to plan effectively and stay safe. You can also sign up to getour email notificationsalert whenservice thisto advicebe isnotified updated.about future updates to this travel advice.

Travel insurance

IfAlthough youthere’s chooseno torecent travel,history researchof yourterrorism destinationsin andNorth getKorea, appropriateattacks travelcan insurancenot be ruled out. See Terrorism.

The Insurancestandards shouldand coveravailability yourof itinerary,medical plannedfacilities activitiesin North Korea are very poor. Take out comprehensive travel and expensesmedical ininsurance anbefore emergency.you travel. See Health