North Korea opens border to tourists for first time since pandemic

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Russian tourists are being welcomed to North Korea in the first group of tourists to the hermit kingdom since the pandemic. 

A group of Russian travelers from the Primorye region will be journeying first to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, according to a report from Russian news outlet Tass.

Following a series of tours, they are reportedly then scheduled to arrive at the nation's ski resort in Masik Pass for winter sports activities.

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Skiers ride a chairlift at Masikryong Ski Resort near Wonsan, North Korea. (Carl Court/Getty Images)

Supreme leader Kim Jong Un's regime has kept the country largely locked down since the worldwide pandemic. 

North Korea suffered intensely during the COVID-19 outbreak and was forced to institute some of the most aggressive quarantine policies in the world.

The decision to select Russian citizens as the first formal tourism group is further evidence of growing cooperation between the two nations.

The two countries have collaborated on military technology and expanded trade in an effort to strengthen regional power alongside China.

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A general view shows the Taedong river and city skyline of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. (ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

The trip was reportedly arranged as a pet project of Primorye Governor Oleg Kozhemyako and his North Korean counterparts.

Until now, the extremely limited tourism industry in North Korea has been primarily marketed toward Chinese citizens.

"Visitors from Russia are unlikely to be