N. Korea closes borders to tourists over Ebola fear
Calum MacLeod
USA TODAY
October 23, 2014
BEIJING — As if it hasn’t already isolated itself enough, North Korea closed itself off more Thursday by shuttering its borders to tourists due to the threat of the Ebola virus.
Travel companies based in China that specialize in the small but growing business of taking tourists to North Korea said they were notified of the ban Thursday by their partners inside the country. It takes effect Friday.
“The reason given was Ebola, and I can’t think of any other reason, as they don’t arbitrarily close the border,” said Simon Cockerell, managing director of Koryo Tours, one of the largest operators.
North Korea has long been cut off from outside influences — both by its own authoritarian regime and through sanctions imposed by the international community.
The last such closure was a four-month ban in 2003, when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was seriously affecting Beijing. China’s capital is the main gateway for travelers to North Korea.
Cockerell said the new ban “seems a bit arbitrary as there have been no reported Ebola cases in Beijing.”
In 2013, between 5,000 and 6,000 western tourists traveled to North Korea, according to Cockerell. At least one-quarter of them were from the U.S., he said. The majority of visitors come from China.
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