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North Korea is set to reopen the country to international tourism towards the end of the year, almost five years after its borders were shut off from the rest of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two tour operators announced the reopening of North Korea including Beijing-based Koryo Tours and Shenyang-based KTG Tours, who both made online announcements on Wednesday.

The companies explained that tour groups will be allowed to visit Samjiyon, the purported birthplace of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

KTG Tours said on its Facebook page Wednesday that it had been told “tourists will be able to go to Samjiyon (Mt. Paektu area) this winter.”

“Exact dates to be confirmed. So far just Samjiyon has been officially confirmed but we think that Pyongyang and other places will open too!” it added.

The North Korea city borders China and is is close to the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, Mount Paektu, an active volcano that is considered of importance and historic significance to both North and South Koreans.

In July, North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong Un personally inspected construction sites within Samjiyon ahead of its reopening to tourism.

While the tour companies reported the change in the sealed off country, state media have yet to announce any changes regarding North Korea’s borders.

The North Korean leader has said he would prioritize tourists from Russia and China, which are considered the Asian country’s “friends.”

In February, North Korea welcomed 100 Russian visitors, at a time when ties between Moscow and Pyongyang were growing closer.

Before the pandemic, tourism to the North was limited, with tour companies saying around 5,000 Western tourists visited each year.

US citizens made up about 20 percent of the market before Washington banned travel following the imprisonment and subsequent death of American student Otto Warmbier.

Last month, Kim Jong Un also visited a new beachside tourism site, Wonsan-Kalma zone. He said the resort would be open in May 2025 after years of construction delays due to the Covid pandemic and United Nations sanctions.

However, Koryo Tours warned on its website that — after almost a five-year hiatus — the early days of the tourism restart may not go particularly smoothly.

*With AFP