by STEVE HAN
North Korea announced that it will ban foreigners from entering the country as tourists due to worries over the Ebola virus, which has already killed at least 4,877 people around the world.
A China-based travel agency, Koryo Tours, which arranges trips to North Korea for international tourists, confirmed that the hermit country has decided to close its border for tourism until Ebola concerns are eliminated. The agency initially had three tours scheduled for the remainder of 2014, according to Nick Bonner of Koryo Tours.
North Korea reportedly didn’t provide a timeline for the duration of its closure for foreign tourists.
The World Health Organization reported that at least 4,877 people died of Ebola, but the death toll could soon triple as nearly 10,000 cases have been recorded by Oct. 19. Last month, North Korea’s state-run media KCNA said that officials began running border quarantine and awareness campaigns to prevent the virus from entering their country.
Up to 6,000 tourists per year reportedly visit North Korea as the communist regime has been organizing efforts in recent years to boost tourism to generate revenue.
This isn’t the first time North Korea closed its borders to tourists over an epidemic. In 2003, the reclusive country placed a similar closure due to fears over the threat of SARS, a severe respiratory disease.
