North Korea has ended its ban on citizens returning to the country that was started during the coronavirus pandemic.

The North's ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Sunday an announcement by The State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters.

The decision was likely made because the pandemic situation has eased.

The newspaper says citizens who return will undergo medical observation at quarantine wards for one week.

North Korea has been maintaining strict border controls during the coronavirus pandemic.

But Pyongyang resumed flights to and from Beijing and Vladivostok in Russia's Far East this month, ending a three-and-a-half-year suspension.

More than 100 North Koreans boarded a flight to Pyongyang at an airport in Beijing on Tuesday.

A South Korean intelligence organization says that Pyongyang is easing border controls to help revitalize economy.

Observers say that prolonged international sanctions have weakened its economy and strict pandemic protocols have dealt it an additional blow.