A British travel company plans to host an international amateur golf tournament in North Korea, according to information posted on the event's official website.
The tournament named "North Korean Amateur Open" is expected to take place in 2026, marking Pyongyang's efforts to restore international tourism activities.
The event is sponsored and organized by Lupine Travel company based in the UK. According to the announcement, the golf tournament will last for 2 days, including 1 day of practice and 1 day of competition.
The tournament is open to amateur golfers of many different nationalities, except for Korean and American citizens who are not allowed to enter North Korea.
The venue is the Pyongyang Golf Complex, the only golf course in North Korea and described by the organizers as the "unique golf course in the world".
This complex is located about 30km from the capital Pyongyang. The project was built in the early 1980s and officially opened in 1987, on the occasion of the 75th birthday of Chairman Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea.
According to North Korea's official DPR Korea Tour page, this golf course has an area of about 196ha with 18 holes, capable of serving more than 200 players at the same time. The North Korean Amateur Open was held annually in the period 2011 - 2016, before being interrupted.
The main reason for the temporary closure is the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when North Korea closed its borders and strictly restricted international travel activities.
The consideration of restoring the tournament takes place in the context of North Korea seeking to restore tourism to attract foreign currency, while the country is still facing sanctions related to its nuclear program.
In recent years, Pyongyang has focused on developing large-scale coastal and mountain resorts, showing a desire to selectively reopen the international tourist flow. The upcoming amateur golf tournament is seen as part of that effort, although the official time still depends on the organizational conditions and entry policy.
