North Korea
Rason travel guide
Rason is a city in North Korea, home to about 197,000 people.
- Best months
- May, June and September
- Nearest airport
- YNJ97 km · Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport
- Currency
- KPWNorth Korean won
- Time zone
- Asia/Pyongyang
- Language
- Korean, North Korean standard language
About
About Rason
Rason is a North Korean special city and ice-free port in the Sea of Japan in the North Pacific Ocean on the northeast tip of North Korea. It is in the Kwanbuk region and location of the Rason Special Economic Zone.
Rason is a combined city of the former cities of Rajin (라진구역) and Sonbong (선봉군) with an approximate population of 195,000. It has a special 'free trade' designation at the corner of both China and Russia which allows for easier foreign investment. It usually receives only a small percentage of the nation's total Western tourism.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Rason
See
- Sonbong Port Revolutionary Monument
- Rajin-Sonbong House of Culture
- Kulpho-ri
- China–North Korea–Russia tripoint
Do
- Imperial Hotel and Casino
- Pipha Island
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Rason
1 hotel within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial Hotel and Casino | 2000 | 4.8 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Rason
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Rason are May, June and September. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 26 °C; August is the wettest, with about 125 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Rason: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport (YNJ), about 97 km from the city centre in a straight line; Orang (Chongjin) Airport (RGO, 119 km) is also within reach.
Getting in
The Rason Special Economic area is in many ways a separate country from North Korea. There are check points between the rest of North Korea and the zone that act as a border, and North Koreans require special permission (which is not readily granted) to enter the zone. Rason is the only visa-free zone in the country, but a travel permit is required. The city's Rajin Station and Sonbong Station are on the Pyongra Line and connects all the way to Pyongyang as well as the nearby Russian border city of Khasan. The rail line has a service to Moscow.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
YNJ · Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport
RGO · Orang (Chongjin) Airport
Questions
Rason: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Rason?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Rason are May, June and September. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 26 °C; August is the wettest, with about 125 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Rason?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport (YNJ), about 97 km from the city centre in a straight line; Orang (Chongjin) Airport (RGO, 119 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Rason?
North Korean won (KPW).
Nearby
Destinations near Rason
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.