Last year I had the privilege to join a budget tour with Koryo Tours (there are few other tour providers which organises trips) and visit the DPRK for a few days. It was a unique and mind-blowing experience, which I recommend to everyone who ever thought about visiting North Korea or who wants to do an adventure a bit outside of the norm.
You can walk freely within and around the grounds of the hotel, but other than that you are “confined” to the activities done together with the group. I’m usually a solo traveler and love exploring things on my own, but it was definitely worth the experience. The tour was packed full with activities and they made a huge effort to show us as much as possible. Here are some of my highlights in no particular order:
- Being in the DPRK
This sounds very straight-forward, but from leaving the plane in Pyongyang to getting back on it at the end of the trip, the feeling of “Oh my god, I’m in North Korea!” never quite goes away. Everything you do, from taking a piss at the airport toilet upon arrival to seeing the monumental and historically significant sights, you will always have this insane special feeling.
- The Victorious War Museum
Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures inside the museum, but it is unlike anything you have ever seen. Probably the most impressive museum I have ever been in. It is an iconic explosion of historical extravaganza. Outside the museum you can get a tour of the captured war vessels such as the US submarine Pueblo, which has been turned into a little museum itself. Inside the actual museum like lots of things you experience in North Korea you will be exposed to propaganda. I encourage you to see it more like an alternative view of things that happened and keep an open mind (I also went to the War Museum in Seoul, South Korea a week later and was exposed to pretty much the same intensity of propaganda just from a different side).
- Taking a ride on Pyongyang Metro
That might be just a personal feeling of exhilaration, but for me there is nothing like taking the metro in a new city. You get a feeling for the city, its geography and more importantly for the everyday life of the city’s people. As everyone is going about their own business, you have the chance to observe the most authentic vibe of whatever city you are in. In Pyongyang there is only two lines and it feels similar to metros like in Russia or Belarus.
- DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) and JSA (Joint Security Area)
The border area which separates North Korea from South Korea is an eery place like no other. It represents such a huge political divide, but if it wasn’t for the military presence and your knowledge of what is at stake, it almost would seem like a beautiful recreational area or a park with a few strange blue huts. It was a very humbling experience to be so close to that line which is just a stroke on the map, but stands for so much uncertainty and conflict.
- Juche Tower
A monument named after the ideology of Juche overlooking the city. It centered on a big square close to the river. You can go up and get an amazing view over the city.
- Arch of Triumph
Very similar in shape and size to the French Arc de Triomphe in Paris. We were there when school kids were rehearsing for the Mass Games (a huge massive event towards the end of the year). The sun was setting while the students were “chanting” their routine and the instructors gave orders through the megaphone. It was just a very atmospheric sight.
- Mansu Hill Grand Monument
One of the most sensitive sights we went to displaying two huge bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. A lot of people come here to worship and the respect the leaders so we were instructed to dress appropriately and appear respectful in the pictures. Voluntarily we could purchase a flower bouquet to lay down in front of the statues (which I did, because when in Rome!) before the whole group bowed respectfully before the leaders. While the whole procedure did not appeal to my own beliefs, it was an extraordinary experience which made me feel connected to the people and its habits.
- Getting a Feeling or Making Contact with Locals
Admittedly it is quite a task to get an authentic experience or account from anyone living in DPRK about how life is for them. We were allowed to talk to whoever we wanted if we got the chance, but there is the language barrier and we usually were rushed from one event to the next. However there were certain experiences, which made me get an impression. We visited a local elementary school, where they put on singing and dance performances and we were able to observe English classes in action. While all those naturally felt quite rehearsed, I had another experience when looking by myself for the bathroom (yes, I have a small bladder), while the rest of the group waited on the bus. I walked through the dim lit corridors of the school and encountered students who often quite shocked by the sight of a tall white person stopped in hesitation but then switched to a routine, where they would stop in front of me and bowed before they would go about their own business. I was later told that this is what young people do to show respect to an older person. It felt real and very humbling that these small kids would apply their cultural customs to an alien from abroad. The kids in general were really nice and some of us got to play ping pong with them.
At some point we went to a small local fair ground, which was full of rides and attractions. It was refreshingly trimmed down, no annoying people in colourful costumes or big flashy lights. Some of us went to do bumper karts and playfully “crashed” with the locals. I loved the eager looks on the kids’ faces who desperately tried to bump into you as the international language of bumper karts demands. We also went on a free fall tower (where you had an amazing view on the sun setting over Pyongyang), which had to stop and go down on the first try, because one of the Korean girls had thrown up after we had been shot up. We came down slowly and the girl visibly embarrassed and distressed left the attraction to go clean herself up. While this sounds more like a funny anecdote in the context of North Korea it just reminded me how we are all the same everywhere in the world.
When were on the way back to the airport our local North Korean guide thanked us for being a respectful group and said something which I will never forget: “I know, your friends and family have told you not to come here, but I’m very happy you did so that I could share our culture and customs with you.” It was painful to hear her conscious awareness of how the country and its people are perceived abroad. I imagined living in a country which is hard to leave and you are aware that everyone in the world thinks you are “evil”.
My experience of the DPRK was despite the political situation and the propaganda we have been exposed to, in the end people are just people, going about their life and making the best out of it. Above all we have been made feel extremely welcome!
me conmueve ya que su manera de ver las cosas es muy objetiva y clara, sin los apasionamientos publicitarios de ciertos países que están en contra de el.
, me parecio muy interesante y económico, con unas playas espectaculares, con algunas limitaciones, pero sin ningún tipo de control u ostigamiento sobre mi persona, en todo momento me sentí libre de ir por donde desee.