Can Israelis go to North Korea? Israeli citizens can visit North Korea as tourists and have been able to do so officially since 2016. We have personally taken many people on Israeli passports into the DPRK.
North Korea and Israel
Israeli-North Korean relations are not exactly what you would call “good”. North Korea has never recognized Israel and in fact recognizes Palestinian authority over the whole region, with the exception of the Golan Heights, which it recognizes as part of Syria.
North Korea and Syria having particularly good relations. There is even a relatively newly built Kim-Il-Sung park in Damascus. And obviously Syria and Israel are not exactly best buddies.
You can read about Kim Il-Sung park in Damascus here.
As part of the Soviet aligned countries the DPRK traditionally followed the Eastern Bloc’s anti-imperialist stance in the Middle-East. The DPRK even sent pilots and non-combat troops to the Yom-Kipper War.
Israelis were formerly banned from entering North Korea
When North Korea opened up to foreign tourists in 1986 it excluded citizens of Israel along with those of the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and South Africa.
When we first started Young Pioneer Tours it was not possible to take Americans, Israelis, South Koreans, or anyone resident in South Korea into the country as tourists.
Can Israelis go to North Koreas? Yes, they can.
These policies slowly changed, mainly leaving South Koreans as the last group we truly cannot take into the country. When it came to Israelis there was no real song and dance about things, we were simply told they could now enter the country. Online information states 2016 as the year Israelis were allowed into the country. We certainly were bringing them in, sanctioned well before that. Although 2016 does seem to be the year it became “official”.
There has never been any prohibition on dual-nationality citizens entering the country. This also includes dual-US nationals.
Contemporary Israeli-North Korea relations
Israel and the US tend to have a similar outlook when it comes to foreign affairs, despite the initial socialist outlook of the country. This has meant Israel repeating such things as the “axis of evil” statement, as well as taking a firm line on the DPRK’s nuclear program.
Following the end of the USSR Israeli made overtures to the DPRK about recognition, but hostile forces in Israel allegedly stopped those plans.
Despite what has been written in some quarters, we personally have never seen anything vaguely resembling anti-Semitic behavior from North Koreans. Although the Kosher thing they don’t really get.
Best solution is to go vegan for the week.
To read about doing vegan in North Korea click here .
So, good news, if you are Israeli, you are very much welcome on our tours to North Korea.
You can check out our North Korean tour program here .
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