As North Korea seeks to rejuvenate its tourism industry, increasing attention is paid to medical tourism, also known as treatment tourism, which targets foreign visitors.
North Korea’s state-run website Naenara recently reported under the headline “Active Treatment Tourism Services,” detailing how the Ministry of Health’s Treatment Tourism Exchange Division actively offers services to protect people’s health. This marks North Korea’s effort to expand its tourism offerings by integrating medical services, with the dual goal of attracting foreign tourists and promoting the country’s healthcare system.
According to the report, general tourism in North Korea is designed to give visitors insights into the country’s history, culture, natural environments, and economic development while providing leisure opportunities. In contrast, treatment tourism focuses on fulfilling health-related needs, such as treatment, prevention, and health promotion, in specialized areas like mineral springs, climate zones, and coastal regions.
Tourists consult with specialists and undergo medical check-ups before selecting a natural therapy zone suited to their health needs. They then receive a combination of natural treatments and professional medical services. For instance, in climate zones with high ozone levels, visitors can engage in treatment exercises combining deep and abdominal breathing techniques. Other treatments include manual therapy services after utilizing facilities such as the Dalcheon Hot Springs or Sijungho Gamtang.
Currently, treatment tourism is only available to domestic tourists in North Korea. This can be seen as an effort to enhance the quality of life for locals by combining medical services with tourism, aiming to win public support.
However, North Korea has resumed accepting Russian tourists for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic and even briefly allowed Western tourists to visit the Rason area in February. As the country gradually reopens, treatment tourism could be rolled out for foreign tourists.
In 2019, before the pandemic, North Korea launched a travel agency called the Treatment Tourism Exchange Office. The office oversees medical and spa tourism for foreigners. The initiative was established in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the National Tourism Administration to offer international visitors successful treatment tourism experiences at various resorts.
There were hopes that treatment tourism would be expanded, mainly targeting middle-aged and older Chinese tourists, who comprise a large share of foreign visitors to North Korea. However, the program did not gain much traction due to outdated medical equipment and technologies. The COVID-19 pandemic also resulted in a complete halt of tourism activities.
Significant upgrades to North Korean medical and healthcare technologies will be essential for revitalizing treatment tourism for foreign visitors. This is likely only achievable with external support. Russia, which maintains a comprehensive strategic partnership with North Korea and has been closely cooperating in the military, economic, and healthcare sectors, is seen as a potential source of that support.
In April of last year, Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko announced that, during North Korean Health Minister Jong Mu Rim’s visit to Russia, both countries agreed to collaborate in healthcare, medical education, and science, with medical tourism mentioned as part of the cooperation.
Treatment tourism is likely to gain momentum with the opening of the newly constructed Pyongyang General Hospital, which North Korea proudly touts as world-class. Last month, Kim Jong Un toured the completed hospital and declared it would officially open in October. Additionally, North Korea is building new hospitals in various regions, further signaling its commitment to improving healthcare.
Given Kim Jong Un’s consistent focus on the tourism and healthcare sectors and his direct oversight of the UN’s initiatives, it is highly probable that integrating these two sectors into treatment tourism will be actively pursued. Treatment tourism offers a promising new avenue for generating foreign currency amid ongoing sanctions. It has the potential to address the health and leisure needs of the population, making it an area to watch in the future.