I was 12 years old when the Cold War ended and the Berlin Wall came down. Growing up in a divided country myself I was always interested in the situation on the Korean peninsula – and in spring of 2013 I finally had the opportunity to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, better known as North Korea. From April 27th to May 4th I spent 8 days / 7 nights in the world’s most secluded country, an extraordinary experience that will stay forever in my heart.
Here’s a list of articles I wrote after my return:
North Korea – A Travel Report
North Korea – Getting Started / Beijing
North Korea – Air Koryo (From Beijing to Pyongyang)
North Korea – Pyongyang, Arch of Triumph
North Korea – Pyongyang, Yanggakdo Hotel
North Korea – Pyongyang, Kumsusan Memorial Palace of the Sun (Mausoleum)
North Korea – Pyongyang, Revolutionary Martyrs‘ Cemetery
North Korea – Pyongyang, Juche Tower
North Korea – Pyongyang, Workers Party Foundation Monument
North Korea – Pyongyang, Golden Lane Bowling Alley
North Korea – Pyongyang, Pyongyang Feature Film Studios
North Korea – Pyongyang, Mansudae Art Studio
North Korea – Pyongyang, Pyongyang Metro
North Korea – Pyongyang, Mangyongdae Children’s Palace
North Korea – Pyongyang, Taesongsan Combined Fruit Farm
North Korea – Pyongyang, Grand People’s Study House
North Korea – Pyongyang, June 9th Middle School
North Korea – Food (For Tourists)
North Korea – Pyongyang Fun Run
North Korea – Pyongyang, Taesongsan Park & Fun Fair
North Korea – Nampo, Dragon River Hot Spa Hotel
North Korea – West Sea Barrage
North Korea – Pyongyang, Chongsan-ri Cooperative Farm
North Korea – The Way To Kaesong
North Korea – Kaesong, Minsok Folk Hotel
North Korea – Korean Dog Meat Soup
North Korea – Kaesong Koryo Museum
North Korea – Panmunjom / JSA
North Korea – Concrete Wall
North Korea – Pyongyang, Kaeson Fun Fair
North Korea – Pyongyang, Other Locations
North Korea – Train To China (Pyongyang – Sinuiju – Dandong – Beijing)
North Korea – Dandong Option
North Korea – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
From October 14th to October 21st I returned for another 8 days / 7 nights to North Korea – this time the rather remote areas North Hamgyong and Rason, which are visited by only a couple of hundred western tourists per year:
Back To North Korea – Or: Hunger Games, The Musical
North Korea Revisited: Northeastern Adventure (Prologue)
North Korea Revisited: Day 1 – Yanji, Tumen, Onsong, Hoeryong
North Korea Revisited: Day 2 – Hoeryong, Chongjin
North Korea Revisited: Day 3 – Chonjin, Pochon
North Korea Revisited: Day 4 – Pochon, Mt. Chilbo, Kyongsong
North Korea Revisited: Day 5 – Kyongsong, Chongjin, Rason
North Korea Revisited: Day 6 – Rason
North Korea Revisited: Day 7 – Rason
North Korea Revisited: Day 8 – Rason, 3 Border Viewing Point, Wonjong, Yanji
North Korea Revisited: Epilog
*Click here to go to a GoogleMap* showing (almost) all of the above locations – and more!
If you are not that familiar with Korea, here is a mini glossary with important terms:
Air Koryo: state-owned North Korean airline, partially blacklisted in Europe
Dandong: Chinese city on the border to North Korea, *last stop of my trip*
DPRK: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, official name of North Korea
DMZ: Demilitarized Zone, in this case between North Korea and South Korea
Joint Security Area (JSA): the tourist section of the DMZ…
Kaesong: North Korean city close to the DMZ, known for its industrial park
Kim Il-sung: 1912-1994, North Korean Prime Minister, President, Supreme Leader and posthumous Eternal President
Kim Jong-il: 1941-2011, North Korean General Secretary, Supreme Leader and posthumous Eternal General Secretary, first son of Kim Il-sung
Kim Jong-un: born 1983 or 1984, North Korean First Secretary and Supreme Leader, third son of Kim Jong-il
KITC: Korea International Travel Company, a state-run travel agency organizing the tours within North Korea
Koryo: also Goryeo, Korean Kingdom from 918 to 1392 and origin of the modern term “Korea”
Koryo Tours: the travel agency I travelled with to the DPRK
Nampo: North Korean city at the mouth of Taedong River, important port and industry
North Korea: common name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Panmunjom: metonym for the Joint Security Area on the city’s premises
Pyongyang: capital of North Korea
Seoul: capital of South Korea
South Korea: common name of the Republic of Korea
Sweetmeat Soup: Korean delicacy, a soup with dog meat (not bulls testicles…)
Taedong River: 439km long river that flows through Pyongyang and reaches the Yellow Sea in Nampo, the tourist hotel Yanggakdo in Pyongyang is on an island in the Taedong River
Yanggakdo Hotel: largest working hotel and second tallest building in North Korea, named after its location Yanggak Island
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What do you know about North Korean prisons? Interesting site and photos! Thank you for sharing!
I don’t know much about regular prisons in the DPRK, but I am sure you are referring to the internment camps / reeducation camps anyway. As I mentioned before, I grew up in Germany and (almost…) everybody there knows about the horrors of Nazi-Germany’s concentration camps – and I think the camps in North Korea are on the same level, which is one of the biggest scandals of our time. The Nazis were able to fool the Red Cross in the 1930s when showing them those camps, the general population claimed they didn’t know what happened in those camps. But we know. We know what’s happening there and thanks to satellite pictures we know where they are – but nobody is doing anything about them, hardly anybody is trying…
(The question is – what can you do about it? I think like with Nazi-Germany you have to get rid of the political system first – and there is the same question, what can you do about it? Kim Jong-un won’t give up power, and even if he does or dies somebody else will step up. If you kill Kim Jong-un then you have a “Japan 1945” situation, where the Americans let potential war criminal Hirohito get away out of fear of arousing fanaticism among the Japanese population. If you target the political leadership and military bases at the same time you have Japan 1945 plus collateral damage. If you level the country you kill the people you want to bring freedom to. There is no easy short-term solution. There has to be change first, political and economical.)
Thanks for sharing! North Korea is one of the secretive places in the world. I really enjoyed reading your blog
Thanks, Cali! There will be more articles about the DPRK soon, so please come back once in a while or subscribe to the new postings.
thanks for the interesting article, I’m glad you stopped by my blog and liked my photo of the horizon for the weekly challenge. That’s how I found your blog.
I remember working with a crew of (South) Koreans on a tuna boat and they showed me a movie about North Korea. It was just about the saddest movie I’ve ever seen. About a family trying to stay together and survive there, I can’t remember the name. I remember thinking that the big difference between N and S Korea is only their political systems. Look at what results from that. 😦
Hey Jill,
There is so much lying and propaganda going on when it comes to Korea that it is hard to believe anything. I generally like to root for the underdog and the North Koreans claim a couple of things I am convinced the Americans are lying to us (for example regarding using biological warfare during the Korean War) – but on the other hand the political system in NK is completely messed up. Even if they get rid of the political elite it will take decades to undo the damage that was done in the past 60 years. (More about that when I write about my second trip to the DPRK…)
I tend to agree with you that we really don’t know much about what’s going on and also that the US is probably lying about pretty much everything.
Just sorry for the people who have to live there and also for the way the US is heading, not doing anything good for us at all or for the world either.
The States‘ military-industrial complex is a real problem, not just for American tax payers… Imagine what one could do with half of that budget! How many tragedies could be avoided, how many problems could be solved. In America and all over the world…
totally agree with you Florian, too bad so many Americans don’t really pay attention to what’s going on here 😦
Because most Americans only pay attention to the BS CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc news.
I would like to expand on Florian’s point, the problem doesn’t stop with the US military/industrial complex. It also expands to the US Media Companies and to some extent, major corporations. They are just too powerful for us ordinary people to challenge.
g2, I agree with you about our media, its definitely NOT doing its job of keeping us informed!
I also agree with your comments that it goes much further than just the MI Complex, it is tied into EVERYTHING here now!
But, I do not agree with your last comment. If we ordinary people don’t challenge the system, who will?
There’s a quote I like… “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” Margaret Mead
I do care, a lot.
Very cool, love your pictures. What an interesting place.
Thanks a lot, Amanda – don’t miss my new series of articles about North Korea starting in January.
I love what you call your “ranting & raving” because it reminds me of myself. Being truly passionate about the world comes through your writing IN EVERY LINE! bravo!!!
Thanks a lot, Kimberly! I really don’t want to offend anybody, but some things need to be said or they’ll never change. Way too many people love to shoot the messenger though… 😦
I really enjoyed the articles and photos of the People’s Korea. Most tourists only go to the main city don’t they? My son got me interested in it and you confirmed some things he has told me. I like listening to some of the music too. Some seems to have been influenced by 1950’s American patriotic or dramatic music, which on the surface seems odd but it has an inspiring, idealistic quality like the important big spectacle movies or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
He has told me that perhaps few people come out of jail. There probably isn’t enough food for one thing.
I believe that the United States does send food there, dont they? Probably not enough though. I think our main focus should be diplomacy and respect when dealing with them. Anything else might be counterproductive.
Thank you for your most informative and interesting articles and photos.
I am glad you enjoyed yourself.