A group of Russian tourists arrived in Pyongyang on Friday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to the AFP, Friday marked the first time the reclusive state received a group of foreign travelers since reopening its borders last August, or some three-and-a-half years after closing them to contain the pandemic. 

The trip was arranged in line with an agreement that Primorsky Krai and North Korean authorities signed last December on the occasion of a visit to Pyongyang by Primorsky Krai Governor Oleg Kozhemyako.

The agreement was a follow-up measure to the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held last September. 

The group, comprising a total of 97 tourists, is set to visit the Arch of Triumph and the Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang as well as the Masikryong Ski Resort in Wonsan City, Kangwon Province.

AFP reported that each tourist is said to have paid around 750 dollars for the four-day trip.