As some news media have reported, the North Korean authorities have suspended issuing visas for foreigners at their embassy in Beijing, China until February of next year.
For some reason, the possible background to this policy is drawing some attention. However, the reality is not newsworthy.
The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, released a quotation from a Chinese tourist agency source on the 7th, “Tours of North Korea will be temporarily suspended, but the one-day course along the China-North Korea border will continue to operate.”
Some South Korean domestic media outlets interpreted this as being part of dealing with domestic chaos or preventing the spread of the H1N1 virus.
Others said that it might be a measure to prepare for a visit by Kim Jong Il to China, a suspicion which was enhanced by news from the Chosun Central News Agency (KCNA) on the 15th which said that the Director of the People’s Safety Agency (PSA) was visiting China.
However, the fact is that this winter break in visa issuance is in no way exceptional. The North Korean authorities do the same thing in mid-December every year, officially for reasons of cold weather and in order to wrap up the year’s work.
By way of example, the first foreign tourists of 2009 entered North Korea on February 14th, just in time to witness the celebrations surrounding the birthday of Kim Jong Il.
