South Korea Eyes Individual Travel to North Korea as Seoul Softens Its Stance

South Korea’s government is exploring the possibility of allowing individual visits to North Korea — a move that signals a notable shift in tone from the new administration under President Lee Jae-myung.

The Unification Ministry confirmed on Monday that the idea is under review as part of broader efforts to ease inter-Korean tensions. “The government is formulating and pursuing North Korea policies with the goal of easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and improving inter-Korean ties,” the ministry said in a statement.

While specifics are still under wraps, local media have reported that individual travel could be used as a bargaining chip to reinitiate dialogue with Pyongyang — particularly after years of diplomatic freeze and provocations.

President Lee, who took office pledging to thaw icy relations, has already suspended controversial loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and stopped leaflet drops critical of North Korea. He’s also reportedly floated the travel proposal during a National Security Council meeting earlier this month, according to the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper.

Critics argue that this new soft-touch approach hands Pyongyang concessions with little guarantee of reciprocity. North Korea has yet to respond publicly to the proposal, and its beach resort project in Wonsan — once floated as a tourism magnet — remains closed to foreigners, despite the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Spokesperson Koo Byung-sam didn’t confirm concrete plans for travel, but noted that such trips may not violate international sanctions — hinting Seoul may be seeking creative legal avenues to reopen channels.

Tourism has long been one of the few legal cash generators for North Korea, which remains under heavy UN sanctions for its weapons programs. While official group tours from the South have been halted since 2008 — when a South Korean tourist was shot by a North Korean guard — individual trips could potentially bypass older frameworks.

South Korea’s intelligence agency, meanwhile, has reportedly halted its anti-North Korea broadcasts for the first time in decades — yet another sign that the Lee administration is banking on goodwill and quiet diplomacy.

With input from Al Jazeera