Can North Korea Become A Tourist Hotspot For Israelis?
Image by Getty Images
By Naomi Zeveloff February 13, 2017
Israelis who wish to visit the repressive totalitarian state of North Korea will have an easier time now that an Israeli company has received the exclusive franchise to issue tourist visas there.
According to the Israeli economics paper Globes, a tour company will begin offering the visas in the spring, with two organized trips planned.
Haim Peres, manager with the tour company, called North Korea “one of the most fascinating countries in the world today,” adding that “more is unknown than known about the country.”
A representative with Israel’s Foreign Ministry noted that there is no travel ban to North Korea, a nation with which Israel does not have official relations. The representative recommended “extreme caution” to Israeli travelers.
Tourists must bring hard cash, since there are no ATMs or currency changers in North Korea.
An estimated 100 Israelis have visited the closed country, where human rights groups say that the government uses torture, forced labor and abuse to silent dissent. Previously, their visas were issued in China.
Americans have been able to visit North Korea since 2010, with heavy restrictions on their movement there.
Contact Naomi Zeveloff at [email protected]
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
