A small group of foreign tourists has visited North Korea in the past week, making them the first international travelers to enter the country in five years except for a group of Russian tourists who went to the North last year.

After the pandemic began, North Korea quickly banned tourists, jetted out diplomats and severely curtailed border traffic in one of the world’s most draconian COVID-19 restrictions. But since 2022, North Korea has been slowly easing curbs and reopening its borders.

SEOUL, South Korea — A small group of foreign tourists has visited North Korea in the past week, making them the first international travelers to enter the country in five years except for a group of Russian tourists who went to the North last year.

North Korea has sent more than 1,000 additional soldiers from the country to Russia so far in 2025 to be deployed in the war in Ukraine, South Korean military sources said Thursday. “The North Korean troops were sent to Russia sometime in January and February,

South Korean media reported that North Korea has deployed additional troops to Russia, notably to the Kursk region, to support in the Ukraine conflict. Over 11,000 North Korean soldiers are already stationed in Russia.