North Korea is tentatively reopening its country to tourism following the closure of its borders during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A tour operator has begun reopening bookings to see Rason, a city that neighbors the countries of China and Russia,

The first tour is set to take place Feb. 12 to 18, when major celebrations are planned for the birthday of the country's late leader Kim Jong Il, one of North Korea's biggest holidays.

This marks the first time North Korea has opened its borders to international tourism since January 2020. Tourists will be invited to Rason and have the opportunity to pay their respects to Kim Jong Il.

North Korea has begun celebrations for the anniversary of late former leader Kim Jong-il's birthday, a national holiday, by opening a commemorative photo exhibition, according to state media on Tuesday.

February 16, known as the "Day of the Shining Star" in North Korea, commemorates the birthday of Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011. The day is celebrated with large-scale public gatherings, military parades, and national festivities across the country.

A tour operator said it had opened bookings for trips to a North Korean border city to celebrate former leader Kim Jong Il's birthday, offering foreign tourists the first chance to visit since the pandemic.

Tour operators said in January that the North would reopen Rason, a city on the border with China, to foreign tourists, five years after Pyongyang sealed its frontiers in response to Covid-19

Koryo Tours opens bookings for North Korean border city trips to celebrate Kim Jong Il's birthday post-pandemic.

Beijing-based travel agency, Koryo Tours, said the February tour in Rason would be "the first trip back to North Korea since the borders closed in January 2020"