The first tour is set to take place Feb. 12 to 18, when major celebrations are planned for the birthday of the country's late leader Kim Jong Il, one of North Korea's biggest holidays.

February 16, known as the "Day of the Shining Star" in North Korea, commemorates the birthday of Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011. The day is celebrated with large-scale public gatherings, military parades, and national festivities across the country.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected a facility that produces nuclear material and called for bolstering the country’s nuclear capability, state media reports.

North Korea has begun celebrations for the anniversary of late former leader Kim Jong-il's birthday, a national holiday, by opening a commemorative photo exhibition, according to state media on Tuesday.

A Chinese travel agency has announced sign-ups for the first trips to North Korea since 2020. The itinerary includes celebrations for Kim Jong Il's birthday and taekwondo demonstrations. A Chinese travel agency organizing trips to North Korea has begun sign-ups for the first trips to this country since the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Chinese agency is offering tours to N. Korea to mark late leader Kim Jong Il's birthday. But it's not clear whether the isolated country's borders are open to tourists and whether the trips will be possible.