Note: This post was published in January 2017. Since then, things have changed. Effective September 1, 2017, United States citizens are banned from traveling to North Korea [see post: North Korea Travel Update] – So, please keep that in mind when reading the following.
It is safe to assume that most Americans think they cannot travel to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). For the longest time, I assumed the same. In late 2015, I met a traveler in Taiwan who introduced me to Koryo Tours and shared stories of his time in North Korea. With each story, I was drawn in deeper. I needed to go. I needed to experience the madness for myself.
I finally convinced my mother to join me on this adventure of a lifetime. Shortly after, my brother Adam expressed his interest in tagging along. Before we knew it, we were in Beijing attending the mandatory pre-tour briefing the day before our departure to the DPRK. [see post: The Great Wall of China: Take 2]
Getting There
The adventure begins on North Korea’s only airline: Air Koryo. The fleet consists of rare Russian airplanes dating back to the Cold War.
The adrenaline really kicks in the moment you take your seat. After a few deep breaths, you start to question your decision to travel by air. Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK, is just a short two hour flight from Beijing. Rather terrified, those two hours felt like an eternity.
Air Koryo was named the “world’s worst airline” several times by various sources floating around the internet. I do not really understand why. There is nothing wrong with the airline; it is just not a typical experience. The plane leaves when it is ready to leave. After the announcement was made that the plane was ready for boarding, we waited in queue for quite some time. No announcements regarding the delay were made. As I looked around, I saw one other Western tourist, a family with two children, and a handful of Western businessmen. But, we were the only Americans. Upon boarding, we were greeted with smiles by the very well dressed flight attendants. Leg space was ample. As it was Saturday, the English version of Pyongyang Times was available.
We were even shown a safety video! After takeoff, the communal screens dropped down from the ceiling and kept us entertained with prerecorded concerts.
The inflight service offered water and one type of juice, along with the famous “mystery meat” burger.
The aircraft was old and poorly pressurized. Which each altitude change, I could feel my ears pop. With each bump, I counted down the minutes until arrival.
There (Day 1)
The guided tour was broken up over three nights and four days. We arrived at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport mid-afternoon on Saturday, which counted as Day 1. As I was passing through customs and immigration, a Korean lady (Ms. Kim) appeared out of nowhere to help translate. Simon, the General Manager at Koryo Tours, was right – the guides will find you upon arrival. Customs and immigration went much smoother than I had imagined. After we passed security, we met the other guide (Mr. Lee) and driver, then transferred to the city.
My first impression: eerie emptiness.
We visited the Mansudae Fountain Park and Sungin and Sungnyong Temples, before picking up flowers and heading over to the Mansudae Grand Monument. These are the iconic, enormous bronze statues of the DPRK leadership overlooking downtown Pyongyang. Before taking pictures, a bow and presentation of flowers is customary.
Koreans visit these statues on Sundays and holidays to pay their respects. In a country where taking pictures can get you into serious trouble, we were hesitant to even take our phones out. Taking pictures of statues have their own guidelines – you must include the whole body (no close-ups) of the statue you are photographing. I asked my mom to quickly snap a picture of me in front of the famous statue. Before I could smile, I was told that I needed to remove my hat and take my hands out of my pockets, because neither were allowed.
Shades of grey and brown filled the streets. We learned very quickly that my mother and Adam were inappropriately dressed for the occasion. Western clothing, such as jeans, are not worn in the DPRK. Local attire consisted of colorless dress pants and button down shirts. The guides came fully suited, tie and all.
Dinner at the “local” restaurant was our first taste of North Korea, literally and figuratively. No locals. The empty restaurant contained tables that were set for large groups of people. We were the only ones inside. Since this was our first dining experience of our trip, we stared at each other in disbelief. Shortly after, the door swung open. A man from Switzerland, the one that I had spotted at the airport. We sat at two separate tables, awkwardly eating dinner while attempting conversation with our guides. If that was not awkward enough, the restaurant put on a karaoke and dance show for us four tourists.
After dinner, we transferred to the Chang Gwang San Hotel.
Americans are only allowed to stay at one hotel in Pyongyang, and this was it. This Soviet style hotel presented more eerie emptiness. At the entrance, a massive lobby.
Open space with nobody to fill it. Hallways leading to empty rooms. Grand ballrooms for nobody to use.
At this point, I was so sick that there was no way that I could sit through an informational meeting without passing out. Fully dressed, I fell into bed, thinking a full 12 hours of sleep would do me good.
Day 2
We woke up early to have breakfast. I should rephrase: we woke up early for my mom and Adam to have breakfast while I sat and stared at my plate trying to figure out how they made Styrofoam look like bread. I ate one piece because I knew I would not be eating much the rest of the day.
Leaving Pyongyang, we stopped at the Monument to the Three Charters of Reunification, a stone archway over the Reunification Highway.
Where else can you stand in the middle of a highway and not get hit by a vehicle? You really get a sense of emptiness here. No vehicles in sight. The highway was built to eventually connect to Seoul. At the moment, that is just wishful thinking.
Sick as never before, I dozed in and out of sleep during the two and a half hour drive along the “Reunification Highway” to Kaesong, the ancient capital of the Koryo Dynasty. While awake, I gazed in wonder at the desolation. For miles, nothing surrounded the highway. Every so often, small working villages showed signs of life. Passing by, you could see pedestrians biking and military men marching along the sides of the highway. The weather stayed at negative centigrade. In the distance, lightly dressed locals worked in the fields under observation, running from place to place.
All tourists share the same itinerary. So, that meant we would be running into the Swiss tourist at each stop, along with a bus full of Chinese. The highlight of the day was visiting the Panmunjom Truce Village and DMZ. This is also where a gorgeous (British or Canadian?) male tourist joined the tour.
Per the itinerary, located in the middle of the 4 km wide Demilitarized Zone, Panmunjom is where the 1953 armistice at the end of the Korean War was signed.
We entered a hut that straddles both Koreas, where you can cross temporarily into the South. We had the rare opportunity to stand in both countries at once.
At the gated entrance is a stamp shop. This is the first store we entered that sold stamps, postcards, local ginseng, souvenirs, arts, and the like. Adam and I rummaged through the vast selection of anti-American postcards, paintings, and posters – the “must buys” of the DPRK.
Day 2 included a “Traditional Korean Royal Lunch” or pansanggi, where 12 dishes are served in small brass bowls. This reminded me of Polish Wigilia, also a meal that features 12 dishes and is served the night before Christmas. Anyways, I would have rather eaten the Wigilia meal (which I strongly dislike) than this first lunch. I could not stomach the food. Rotten potatoes, bean sprouts, blackened rice. No thank you. I watched in wonder as my brother and mother stuffed themselves with kimchi and dog meat. Dog meat is not served to tourists. It is actually quite expensive and reserved for very special occasions. Of course, Adam wanted to try it. So, upon landing in Pyongyang, he made sure to arrange this meal with the guides. As someone who does not even eat pork or beef, I was quite surprised with myself when my mouth opened just enough to a bite off a tiny piece of dog meat. I took such a small bite, that I would not even be able to explain to you how it tasted, because I am not even sure.
On the way back to Pyongyang, we visited important historical sites and monuments.
We stopped in Sariwon City before heading to the Migok Co-Operative Farm. The stop offered great views of the Chaeryong Plains, one of the DPRK’s main agricultural regions.
This stop was an introduction to rural life in Korea. I do not know much about co-operative farms, but apparently the Migok Co-Operative Farm was the “model farm” that the leaders visited time and time again, proclaiming it as a model farm. From what I gathered, I cannot imagine working under such conditions. Following the farm visit, we had the opportunity to enter a farmer’s home.
I felt quite awkward, but wanted to see how these people lived. Of course, I was only shown what the government wanted me to see. The house they chose for tourists to visit seemed like a typical rural home. I wish I had the opportunity to choose the home I walked into, to see how people really lived.
When we finally arrived back in Pyongyang, we stopped for an evening walk on “Future Scientist Street”, one of Pyongyang’s newest neighborhoods (formally opened in November 2015). Staring at the buildings, I could not help but question – to myself, of course – how much of these buildings were actually occupied. The rooms within the skyscrapers only showed off some light. Was everything for show?
Simon was right. You leave the DPRK with more questions than you came with. Except, this was only our first full day.
Day 3
After breakfast, we walked the streets of Pyongyang for an introduction to life in the DPRK. We were quickly introduced to the idea that Westerners are aliens to Koreans. People avoided us. They crossed the street to avoid walking past us. Children walked closely to their parents. Adults turned their heads and stared as we walked by. We were today’s main attraction.
We stopped at a Foreign Languages Bookshop before walking over to the Kim II Sung Square – the center of it all. This is where the massive military parades, rallies, and dances you may have seen in the media happen. Every marked dot and number on the ground represents where one is supposed to stand for these events.
I am not big on museums; I avoid them everywhere I go. With a fixed itinerary, skipping the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum and USS Pueblo was not an option. And, I’m glad it was not. The museum was quite fascinating.
The USS Pueblo sits anchored on display along the Taedong River in Pyongyang, next to the war museum for all to see the DPRK’s precious trophy.
The Koreans are very proud of this capture. Before we could walk around the ship, we sat down and watched a black and white film about the vessel being captured.
The film teaches that: the United States’ spy ship deliberately entered Korea’s territorial waters, the DPRK treated the captives with complete respect (the only person killed retaliated, of course), the DPRK only wanted a formal apology from the United States, confirming they were at fault. They kept everything; the captives’ clothing hangs on display inside the ship.
Outside of the USS Pueblo, the museum houses captured tanks, helicopters, and planes. Everything they have is on display.
At this point, I could not stomach another lunch. I could not take any more MSG. Here, MSG is used as an ingredient.
We had a choice of either Pyongyang Cold Noodles, one of the four famous foods of Pyongyang, or bibimbap, a mixed rice dish, served as a main course. My mother’s adventurous pallet ordered the cold noodles, while Adam and I picked at the rice bowls we were given.
After lunch we hopped on the bus to Mangyondae Native House, the birthplace of President Kim II Sung. We parked the bus down the street, and walked the spotless streets along a park to the traditional Korean house.
While walking, we noticed several groups of youngsters walking along the road holding brooms. This was a sight we were not allowed to photograph. Oh boy, how much I wanted to snap a photo: hundreds of people sweeping the streets with brooms.
Next was the “Pyongyang Metro Tour”. We took a ride on one of the deepest subways in the world. Each station, loaded with artwork reflecting the name of the station, was truly spectacular. Such grand architecture and detailed mosaics filled the enormous spaces.
I felt like an animal at the zoo. Nobody would sit next to us on the metro. Locals kept their distance, but did not keep their eyes off us. We were like stage animals. The ones that you stare at in fascination but confusion.
We disembarked the metro at the stop where the Arch of Triumph stands.
It was mentioned, repeatedly, that this massive archway commemorating the liberation of Korea from Japanese rule was larger than its counterpart in Paris. Anytime Korea had something larger, deeper, or better than another country in the world, it was known. Repeatedly.
After, we visited the Monument to the Party Foundation (iconic structure featuring the hammer, sickle, and writing brush which make up the emblem of the Worker’s Party of Korea) and the Tower of the Juche Idea (170 meter tower dedicated to the DPRK’s guiding philosophy.
The tower offered an excellent bird’s eye view of Pyongyang.
The day was coming to an end. I do not like or drink beer. But, if a local beer bar was an option on the itinerary, I was all for checking it out. Of course, we were the only people inside. Beers cost 2 EUR per glass. Tourists are not allowed to use or keep North Korean Won, so I photographed the bank notes.
We each had one glass of beer and headed to the Pyongyang Golden Lanes Bowling Centre for some ping pong and bowling.
Following, we had a farewell dinner at south Pyongyang’s Duck Meat Restaurant for a taste of Korean barbeque cooked on an open grill.
Day 4
It was time to head back to Beijing; our flight to Chicago via Tokyo departed a few hours after our arrival in Beijing. Most of the group tours (and private tours) include an international sleeper train to Beijing from Pyongyang as part of the itinerary. We were not allowed to partake in this exclusive experience. Several restrictions pertaining to American tourists were lifted in January 2010, but we are still not allowed to travel by train (to or from the DPRK). This meant we would experience Air Koryo one last time. With only one departure, the airport was empty.
Koryo Tours
If you are looking for a unique, one of a kind experience, take a trip to North Korea. Koryo Tours is now the world’s leading travel specialist to DPRK, and takes more than 2,000 people to North Korea every year. The company runs about 40 group tours every year, and also organizes private tours. In my opinion, visiting North Korea is an experience that is better shared. As mentioned on the company’s website, majority of the tours are designed for first-time visitors with the purpose of making sure you see and do as much as possible in the DPRK. The fast paced, jam-packed itinerary I chose was perfect for us.
To my surprise, holidays in North Korea really are safe and easily accessible. The visa process is quick and easy; you just submit a photo copy of your passport and pay the 50 EUR fee. Koryo Tours takes care of everything and is always available to answer any questions you may have. The company’s customer service is like nothing I have ever experienced – simply excellent.
Tips
Arrive with an open mind. This is your time to challenge or confirm your preconceptions. Let it go. Things are not going to make sense. Do not try to convince the guides otherwise. Keep in mind: you can be detained for whatever reason, and if you are American, the United States has no diplomatic way to get you out. Behave. Follow the rules even if they may seem silly to you. Safety is not a concern. You have two guides and a driver keeping a very close eye on you. Bring cash. A lot of cash broken down into very small denominations. Your credit and debit cards will not work inside of the DPRK. Even if there were ATMs, with all of the sanctions in place, you would be restricted from accessing your accounts anyways. You really do not have any access with the outside world. No cellphone reception or wireless internet is available anywhere. You can bring food, snacks, and alcohol into the country, and I advise you do so. Food is plentiful, but you cannot be picky. You eat what you are given. So long as you arrive with an open mind, you will have an incredible once in a lifetime experience.
