Russia has begun allowing North Korean citizens to use electronic visas for entry into the city of Saint Petersburg, the state-run TASS news agency reported this week.

The new e-visa rule expands on a similar policy passed two years ago for DPRK nationals seeking to travel to Russia’s far-eastern city of Vladivostok.

The new policy applies to citizens of 53 countries, including China, Japan, Singapore, India, and Mexico, as well as the DPRK.

“It is extremely important for Saint Petersburg,” Sergey Korneev, a senior official in Russia’s federal tourism agency, was reported to have said.

Saint Petersburg’s acting governor, Alexander