Several foreign tour operators said North Korea will begin banning foreign tourists starting Wednesday.<br /><br />According to Reuters, the ban is in response to the spread of a new coronavirus outbreak in China.<br /><br />The virus has killed nine people and spread to several countries including Japan, Thailand, and the United States.<br /><br />The vast majority of tourists to North Korea come from China, Pyongyang’s main supporter.<br /><br />Travel companies were told an order banning entry of tourists from China would be in effect until a vaccine is developed.<br /><br />North Korea is estimated to earn millions of dollars from Chinese tourists each year.<br /><br />South Korean budget airline T’way Air said it has postponed flights to certain areas of China due to the virus.
