North Korea

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Comment by Tripatini on January 28, 2010 at 2:57pm

Big news on the NK travel front! Here's a press release we just received from the PR rep of Tripatini member Walter Keats of Asia Pacific Travel. Hopefully Walter will soon weigh in himself with some additional details.

Asia Pacific Travel Ltd Announces that North Korea Confirms American Travelers are Allowed to Visit Year-Round

Chicago, IL, January 27, 2010 … North Korea’s state-run travel company, the Korea International Travel Company, has confirmed to Walter L. Keats, CTC, CMP, President of Asia Pacific Travel Ltd (APTL) their decision to allow American tourists permission to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) all year long, just like other nationalities. Since 2005, American tourists have only been allowed to travel to the DPRK during the special Arirang synchronized gymnastics performance period in August to September.

The issues of whether to allow Americans to stay longer than the five day limit that is currently in place, and to travel on trains to and from China, are still being considered.

Mr. Keats is optimistic the other two policy changes will be implemented also. In accordance with this, APTL has already posted new itineraries on its web site, www.NorthKorea1on1.com, taking advantage of these changed policies. Mr. Keats said that, “APTL tours for 2010 will offer a different and more extensive mix of long and short-stay study tours, from April through October.”

Mr. Keats acknowledges that the most important factor in this change in travel policy toward US citizens is the improved relations between the US and the DPRK, as evidenced by the visit last month of Ambassador Stephen Bosworth to Pyongyang. However, he also feels that the meeting he personally had with two DPRK officials at the DPRK UN Mission in New York in December 2009 may have been an additional positive influence.

Asia Pacific Travel's North Korean tours are based on over 15 years experience working with the DPRK. Mr. Keats is a North Korea expert and an experienced tour leader who has visited North Korea 19 times since 1995. He escorts almost all of APTL’s North Korean travel programs.

Asia Pacific Travel, Ltd. is the only “officially recognized” American tour operator to North Korea with a Letter of Commission from the DPRK (www.northkorea1on1.com)

A further announcement about the final two possible policy changes for travel to the DPRK will be made immediately after the DPRK’s official determination.