North Korea has finally approved the return of its citizens who were living abroad after three years of strict border restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Reuters, the state media on Sunday reported that the isolated country opened its border for passengers to travel. KNCA news agency quoted the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters as saying on Saturday that the approval was aligned with its adjustment of the anti-epidemic degree following 'eased worldwide pandemic situation.' According to a report from the news agency Reuters, the statement read, "Those returned will be put under proper medical observation at quarantine wards for a week."
This announcement comes just days after an Air Koryo flight which was travelling from Pyongyang landed in Beijing for the first time since the COVID-19-related pandemic began in 2020. Reuters reported that it was not immediately clear as to who was aboard the flight, however, the Western tour companies that operate in the isolated country said that it appeared to be a flight that would carry back North Koreans who were stuck in China due to border closures.
The traffic of Cargo trains and ships slowly increased over the past year, however, North Korea has only now started to allow some international passenger travel.
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In the first instance since before the pandemic, Chinese as well as Russian government delegations flew last month to Pyongyang, and this month, buses carrying North Korean athletes to a taekwondo tournament in Kazakhstan crossed borders and entered China.
A number of foreign delegations had to shut their embassies in Pyongyang as they were unable to rotate staff or ship in supplies for that matter during the majority of the pandemic, reported Reuters.