Do I need vaccinations to travel to North Korea?

Not yet and not anytime soon.

North Korea shakes its fist at the world again. In the past 2 weeks, it has conducted a nuclear test and then sent several test missiles in violation of United Nations agreements. This isolated totalitarian regime has nuclear weapons and a huge army, but it cannot feed its own people. North Korean citizens live at gunpoint. They do not enjoy the rights of free speech, fair elections, or foreign travel.

It would be fascinating to travel to North Korea to meet its people and learn about its culture. This will not happen unless the current regime changes or loosens the fist. Even South Korean citizens are not allowed to visit their own relatives who are figuratively imprisoned in North Korea. The North Korean leadership understands the political power of travel. If the free people of the world were allowed to travel to North Korea, then its citizens would learn how they have been manipulated, exploited, and enslaved by their leaders. This could light a long fuse that could ultimately threaten the regime. North Koreans cannot tolerate a free press or an enlightened population.

Traveling is not just a leisure or business experience. It is an opportunity to spread ideas and exchange points of view. That is why all American universities strive to recruit international students and send their own students abroad.

There will come a time when North Korea will be an international tourist destination. After the walls of isolation come down, as they did in Berlin in 1989, a curious world will want to come in and look around.

At Travel Clinics of America, we protect travelers against yellow fever, malaria, and typhoid fever. We provide travel vaccinations and travel safety tips to international travelers traveling around the world. When the time comes, and it will, we will protect travelers heading to North Korea. Unfortunately, your own repressed people need protection against a force more dangerous than infectious diseases. Unfortunately, Travel Clinics of America does not have a vaccine available against the threat they face.