North Korea has slowly restored important aspects of its relationship with China as it has emerged from its pandemic isolation over the last year, ramping up trade, welcoming diplomats and delegations, and resuming exchanges of students and business people.

But nearly five years since COVID-19 spread around the world, Pyongyang still has given no indication of when it will allow Chinese tourists to return, despite previously netting the regime close to $200 million in foreign currency per year and the resumption of tourism from Russia.