Daniel Wolfram
The treaty made by the two dictators may have worked out for both their militaries. But so far, no Russian wants to travel across the globe for a vacation in North Korea.
Officials in Moscow have spent months pitching a new holiday destination to Russian citizens.
They describe beautiful beach resorts, snowy ski slopes, and fun group excursions.
Veterans returning from the frontline in Ukraine are even offered special discounts to go on vacation there.
The country Russia is trying to sell to its people is North Korea.
Selling the dream
Still, Russians preparing to go on vacation are refusing to bite.
Despite the glossy promotional videos and expanding list of organized tours, almost no Russians have taken the trip to North Korea.
No one wants to vacation in North Korea
About 5,000 Russians went to North Korea on vacation in 2025. That estimate comes directly from Sergei Krivonosov, who serves as deputy head of the State Duma’s Tourism Committee.
Krivonosov bleakly forecasts that the total will rise to around 6,000 in 2026.
In a country of over 140 million people, those figures represent a tiny percentage of all Russians. Industry insiders agree that the long trip remains an extreme outlier for normal families.
Artur Muradyan, vice president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, noted that North Korea remains a niche destination on the Russian tourism market.
A political push
This official travel push is part of a larger geopolitical shift for Russia. Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have grown rapidly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There are even talks about North Korea sending up to 50,000 of its soldiers to the front lines in Russia.
President Vladimir Putin travelled to Pyongyang in June 2024, marking his first trip to the North Korean capital since 2000.
During that high-profile meeting, Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un signed a mutual defense treaty. The historic agreement formally called for expanding bilateral tourism ties alongside military cooperation. Yet turning formal diplomatic alliances into a popular destination vacation spot is proving far harder than Russian officials originally anticipated.
