BEIJING — North Korea has barred Western influencers from joining a delegation of tourists to an international trade fair in October, a China-based tour operator told AFP today.

Diplomatically isolated North Korea has welcomed sporadic groups of international visitors in recent months, including hundreds of foreign athletes in April for the first Pyongyang International Marathon in six years.

China has historically been the biggest diplomatic, economic and political backer of North Korea, which remains under crippling international sanctions.

Travel agency Young Pioneer Tours (YPT) said on Saturday it would take a group of foreign tourists on a trip to the authoritarian state from October 24 to November 1.

However, the tour would not be open to journalists, travel content creators or influencers, the company said on its website.

YPT co-founder Rowan Beard told AFP the curbs on creators were “a specific request from the North Korean side”.

“We anticipate that once the country officially reopens, there may be stricter scrutiny or limitations on influencers and YouTubers joining tours,” Beard said.

The company had “no visibility” on when Pyongyang would restart official media delegations, he said.

Several online influencers have shared slickly produced videos from inside North Korea in recent months.

Chad O’Carroll, founder of specialist website NK News, said many influencers tend to have larger audiences than professional journalists, but “they are normally working without editors and tend to gain extra views through sensationalist-style content”.

“North Korean authorities likely see few benefits and major risks with allowing social media influencers to visit the country, given what we saw earlier this year,” O’Carroll told AFP.