North Korea

Recommended Vaccinations For North Korea

For Most Travellers

Hepatitis B Vaccine

There is a risk of infection with hepatitis B for this country, therefore, the vaccination is recommended.

Hepatitis A Vaccine

There is a risk of exposure to hepatitis A in this country, therefore, the vaccination is recommended. Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against the disease.

For Some Travellers

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccine

One dose of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) is recommended to infants 6 to 11 months prior to international travel.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Vaccine

A BCG vaccine is recommended for all unvaccinated adults and children under 16 years of age, staying in the country for more than 3 months. A tuberculin skin test is required prior to administering vaccination for all children from 6 years of age.

Rabies Vaccine

Vaccination against rabies is recommended for travellers involved in outdoor activities (e.g., adventure travellers, and cavers) who may have direct contact with rabid dogs, bats, and other mammals. Those with occupational risks (such as veterinarians, wildlife professionals, researchers) and long-term travellers and expatriates are at higher risk and should be vaccinated.

Typhoid Fever Vaccine

There is a risk of exposure to typhoid fever in this country through consumption of unsafe food and water. Since exposure to unsafe sources is variable within this country, the vaccination against typhoid fever is generally recommended, especially when visiting smaller cities, rural areas, or staying with friends and family.

Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine

The vaccine is recommended for long-term travellers (e.g., trips lasting a month or more) to endemic areas during Japanese encephalitis virus transmission season. Consider the vaccine for the following groups: Short-term (less than 1 month) travellers to endemic areas during transmission season if their itinerary or activities will increase their risk (e.g. spending substantial time outdoors in rural or agricultural areas; staying in accommodations without air conditioning, screens or bed nets.)

Yellow Fever Vaccine

There is no risk of yellow fever in this country. However, North Korea requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate for travellers 1 year of age and older arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.

Recommended Medications For North Korea

For Some Travellers

Anti-malarial Drugs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends atovaquone-proguanil, chloroquine, doxycycline, mefloquine or primaquine. NaTHNaC states that there is a very low risk of malaria in some southern areas of North Korea, and awareness of risk and mosquito bite avoidance are recommended. CDC states that malaria is present in southern provinces (not named) and malaria medication is recommended. WHO states that limited malaria risk exists in some southern areas, and no malaria medications are recommended.

Diseases To Be Aware of for North Korea

For Most Travellers

Hepatitis B

There is a risk for acquiring hepatitis B in this country.

Hepatitis A

There is a risk of exposure to hepatitis A virus in this country through contaminated food or water.

For Some Travellers

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

There is a risk of acquiring the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever in North Korea.

Scrub Typhus

Scrub typhus generally occurs year-round in areas of North Korea.

Hanta Virus

There is a risk of acquiring hantavirus in North Korea through contaminated food or by coming into contact with someone infected with the virus.

Measles

There is a risk of exposure to measles in the country.

Chikungunya Fever

Chikungunya fever has occurred in this country.

Leishmaniasis

There is a risk of acquiring Leishmaniasis in the country.

Japanese encephalitis

There is a risk of exposure to Japanese encephalitis in North Korea. Outdoor activity in rural areas will increase this risk.

Malaria

Malaria is present in southern provinces.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis occurs in this country. Travellers to this country are at risk for tuberculosis if visiting sick friends or family, working in the health care field, or having close prolonged contact with the general population.

Yellow Fever

There is no risk of yellow fever in this country. However, North Korea requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate for travellers 1 year of age and older arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.

Typhoid Fever

Unvaccinated people can become infected through contaminated food and water in North Korea, especially when visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas where water and food may not be safe.

Rabies

Rabies occurs in this country. Bats may also carry rabies-like viruses. Travellers involved in outdoor activities (e.g., campers, hikers, bikers, adventure travellers, and cavers) may have direct contact with rabid dogs, bats, and other mammals. Those with occupational risks (such as veterinarians, wildlife professionals, researchers) and long-term travellers and expatriates are at higher risk.

Safety & Security in North Korea

Personal Safety

Your movements will be completely controlled by government-appointed guides who accompany you everywhere. Independent travel is forbidden and you must stay with organized tours approved by state tourism bureaus. Authorities closely monitor all foreigners through surveillance, room searches, and communication monitoring. Detentions of foreign nationals have occurred for activities considered minor infractions in other countries, including taking unauthorized photographs, possessing banned materials, or behavior perceived as disrespectful to the regime. You face interrogation without legal counsel and potential imprisonment if suspected of breaking local laws. Since early 2024, borders have been largely closed to tourism except for select Russian visitors and brief openings to limited areas. Most Western embassies, including the British Embassy, remain closed and consular assistance is severely limited or impossible. Communication with the outside world is extremely difficult as internet access and international phone calls are restricted.

Extreme Violence

Violent crime targeting foreign tourists is virtually nonexistent in the traditional sense. The country maintains strict social control and visitors are constantly supervised by guides. However, reports from 2023 indicate that violent crimes within the general population have increased significantly, with South Korean intelligence noting that violent crimes tripled compared to the previous year amid food shortages and economic pressures. Traditional crime statistics are not released by the government. Petty theft has been reported at Pyongyang airport but street crime affecting tourists remains rare due to tight surveillance and control. The primary threat comes from the state itself rather than criminal elements. Authorities maintain political prison camps holding an estimated 120,000 people as of 2023, and public executions are carried out for various offenses. Torture and forced labor are systematic within detention facilities. The regime enforces severe punishments for political crimes, including attempting to leave the country, criticizing leadership, or possessing foreign media.

Political Unrest

The country remains technically at war with South Korea under an armistice agreement from 1953. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high and the security situation can change quickly without advance warning. Daily life in Pyongyang may appear calm but authorities provide no emergency alert systems for visitors and you have no access to reliable information about internal political developments. In January 2024, leader Kim Jong Un declared South Korea as the most hostile country and called for constitutional changes removing references to reunification. The country conducted numerous missile tests throughout 2023 and 2024, and successfully launched a reconnaissance satellite in November 2023. North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine since 2024, which represents a significant foreign military engagement. Civil unrest as understood in other countries does not occur due to the totalitarian system. Any perceived criticism of political leaders or the system is treated as a grave offense. Access to international news is severely restricted and what information exists is unreliable. The 2023 Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act criminalized South Korean language styles with punishments up to the death penalty.

Areas To Avoid

You can only visit areas approved by your government-assigned guides. Visitors are not allowed to travel outside designated tour areas without their guides. Independent exploration of any kind is forbidden. Even residents of Pyongyang need special permission to travel outside the capital. For tourists, typical accessible areas have historically included Pyongyang, the Demilitarized Zone border area, and select locations like Mount Kumgang. However, following the brief reopening in early 2025, only the Rason Special Economic Zone in the northeast was accessible to non-Russian tourists before borders closed again in March 2025. The Demilitarized Zone is a 4-kilometer-wide buffer separating North and South Korea where military incidents occasionally occur. Coastal areas are considered sensitive and vessels approaching by sea risk detention or being fired upon. Photography is heavily restricted and you must always ask permission before taking photos. It is illegal to photograph anything other than designated public tourist sites. Taking unauthorized photographs can be treated as espionage. Military checkpoints at province, county, and town entry points require proof of identity. Talking to North Korean citizens without authorization is considered spying and punishable as such as of 2024.