Friday, October 24, 2014

"North Korea to bar foreign tourists over Ebola concerns"

So much for any Winter in Pyongyang daydreams anyone may have been harboring.
From Reuters:

North Korea will bar entry to foreigners on tourist trips from Friday because of worries over the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, operators of tours to the isolated country told Reuters.

At least 4,877 people have died in the world's worst recorded outbreak of Ebola, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, with nearly 10,000 cases recorded by Oct. 19, though the true toll could be three times as much.

It was not immediately clear if the North Korean ban also covered non-tourist members of the diplomatic or business community with ties to Pyongyang.

"We have just received official news from our partners in the DPRK that, as of tomorrow, tourists from any country, regardless of where they have recently visited, will not be permitted to enter," said Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours, a travel company based in China that runs tours in North Korea.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea....MORE

A traffic enforcement officer at work in treacherous conditions; automobile traffic has steadily increased in Pyongyang in recent months. (Photo by Nile Bowie)
A traffic enforcement officer at work in treacherous conditions; automobile traffic has steadily increased in Pyongyang in recent months.