18nk

the internet guide to

NORTH KOREA a complete wikipedia and googlemaps guide

by pam

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More than 100 years ago Korea was known as the “Hermit Kingdom” because it tried to shut out the rest of the world. These days South Korea is an open modern nation but in North Korea both terms “hermit” and “kingdom” still apply – in strange and novel ways.

No other country in the world maintains such a closed rigid system.

THE INTERNET GUIDE TO NORTH KOREA

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This book was made as part of a studio in the Master of Communication Design at RMIT University in the second semester of 2017, led by Stuart Geddes.

The starting point for this book was the essay ‘Journey to the Centre of Google Earth’ by Simon Sellars. The essay was originally commissioned for NyMusikk’s Only Connect Festival of Sound 2014: J.G. Ballard. It was published in the Only Connect catalogue, May 2014, edited by Anne Hilde Neset and Audun Vinger. Thanks to Simon for his permission to republish this. The original essay can be found here: simonsellars.com/journey-tothe-centre-of-google-earth

CONTENTS FACTS ABOUT THE COUNTRY

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FACTS FOR THE VISITOR

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History 10 Geography 26 Climate 30 Environment 32 Government and politics 36 Economy 64 Population and People 70 Society 74 Culture 90 Regions 100 Before Arriving 106 Communications 120 Books, Magazines amd CD’s 124 Photography and Video 126 Health 128 Danger and Annoyances 130 Respect 138 Accomodation 146 Food 154 Drink 162 Shop 166 Things to do 172 Things to see 182

GET AROUND 192

FACTS

ABOUT

THE

COUNTRY

Japanese Occupation

HISTORY

(1910–1945)

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After the Russo-Japanese War, Korea was occupied

by Japan (1910–1945).

Japan tried to suppress Korean traditions and culture and ran the economy primarily for its own benefit. Korean resistance groups known as Dongnipgun (Liberation Army) operated along the Sino-Korean border, fighting guerrilla warfare against Japanese forces. Some of them took part in allied action in China and parts of South East Asia. One of the guerrilla leaders was the communist Kim Il-sung, who later became the first leader of North Korea.

Soviet Occupation and Division of Korea (1945–1950)

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At the end of World War II in 1945, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two zones along the 38th parallel, with the northern half of the peninsula occupied by the Soviet Union and the southern half by the United States. The drawing of the division was assigned to two American officers, Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel, who chose it because it divided the country approximately in half but would place the capital Seoul under American control.

No experts on Korea were consulted. Nevertheless, the division was immediately accepted by the Soviet Union. The agreement was incorporated into the U.S.’s General Order No. 1 for the surrender of Japan.

Initial hopes for a unified, independent Korea had evaporated as the politics of the Cold War resulted in the establishment of two separate states with diametrically opposed political, economic, and social systems.

Soviet general Terentii Shtykov recom mended the establishment of the Soviet Civil Authority in October 1945, and supported Kim Il-sung as chairman of the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea, established in February 1946.

During the provisional government, Shtykov’s chief accomplishment was a sweeping land reform program that broke North Korea’s stratified class system.

Landlords and Japanese collaborators fled to the South, where there was no land reform and sporadic unrest. Shtykov nationalized key industries and led the Soviet delegation to talks on the future of Korea in Moscow and Seoul. In September 1946, South Korean citizens rose up against the Allied Military Government. In April 1948, an uprising of the Jeju islanders was violently crushed. The South declared its statehood in May 1948 and two months later the ardent anti-communist Syngman Rhee became its ruler. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was established in the North on 9 September 1948. Shtykov served as the first Soviet ambassador, while Kim Il-sung became premier.

Soviet forces withdrew from the North in 1948 and most American forces withdrew from the South in 1949. Ambassador Shtykov suspected Rhee was planning to invade the North, and was sympathetic to Kim’s goal of Korean unification under socialism.

The two successfully lobbied Joseph Stalin to support a short blitzkrieg of the South, which culminated in the outbreak of the Korean War.

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Korean War (1950–1953)

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The military of North Korea invaded the South on 25 June 1950, and swiftly overran most of the country. A United Nations force, led by the United States, intervened to defend the South, and rapidly advanced into North Korea. As they neared the border with China, Chinese forces intervened on behalf of North Korea, shifting the balance of the war again. Fighting ended on 27 July 1953, with an armistice that approximately restored the original boundaries between North and South Korea. More than one million civilians and soldiers were killed in the war. As a result of the war, almost every substantial building in North Korea was destroyed.

Some have referred to the conflict as a civil war, with other factors involved. The Korean War was the first armed confrontation of the Cold War and set the standard for many later conflicts. It is often viewed as an example of the proxy war, where the two superpowers would fight in another country, forcing the people in that country to suffer most of the destruction and death involved in a war between such large nations. The superpowers avoided descending into an all-out war against one another, as well as the mutual use of nuclear weapons. It expanded the Cold War, which to that point had mostly been concerned with Europe.

A heavily guarded demilitarized zone (DMZ) still divides the peninsula, and an anti-communist and anti-North Korea sentiment remains in South Korea.

Since the war, the United States has maintained a strong military presence in the South which is depicted by the North Korean government as an imperialist occupation force. And they claimed that the Korean War was caused by the United States and South Korea.

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Post-war Development

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The relative peace between the South and the North following the armistice was interrupted by border skirmishes, celebrity abductions, and assassination attempts. The North failed in several assassination attempts on South Korean leaders, such as in 1968, 1974 and the Rangoon bombing in 1983; tunnels were found under the DMZ and war nearly broke out over the axe murder incident at Panmunjom in 1976. For almost two decades after the war, the two states did not seek to negotiate with one another. In 1971, secret, high-level contacts began to be conducted culminating in the 1972 July 4th North-South Joint Statement that established principles of working toward peaceful reunification. The talks ultimately failed because in 1973, South Korea declared its preference that the two Koreas should seek separate memberships in international organizations.

During the 1956 August Faction Incident, Kim Ilsung successfully resisted efforts by the Soviet Union and China to depose him in favor of Soviet Koreans or the pro-Chinese Yan’an faction. The last Chinese troops withdrew from the country in October 1958, which is the consensus as the latest date when North Korea became effectively independent.

Some scholars believe that the 1956 August incident demonstrated independence. North Korea remained closely aligned with China and the Soviet Union, and the Sino-Soviet split allowed Kim to play the powers off each other. North Korea sought to become a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, and emphasized the ideology of Juche to distinguish it from both the Soviet Union and China.

Recovery from the war was quick — by 1957 industrial production reached 1949 levels. In 1959, relations with Japan had improved somewhat, and North Korea began allowing the repatriation of Japanese citizens in the country. The same year, North Korea revalued the North Korean won, which held greater value than its South Korean counterpart.

Until the 1960s, economic growth was higher than in South Korea, and North Korean GDP per capita was equal to that of its southern neighbor as late as 1976.

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19 In the early 1970s, China began normalizing its relations with the West, particularly the U.S., and reevaluating its relations with North Korea.

The diplomatic problems came to a head in 1976 when Mao Zedong died. In response, Kim Il-sung began severing ties with China and reemphasizing national and economic self-reliance enshrined in his Juche Idea, which promoted producing everything within the country. By the 1980s the economy had begun to stagnate; it started its long decline in 1987 and almost completely collapsed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, when all Russian aid was suddenly halted. The North began reestablishing trade relations with China shortly thereafter, but the Chinese could not afford to provide enough food aid to meet demand.

The Arduous March

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In 1992, as Kim Il-sung’s health began deteriorating, Kim Jong-il slowly began taking over various state tasks. Kim Il-sung died of a heart attack in 1994, in the midst of a standoff with the United States over North Korean nuclear weapon development. Kim Jong-il declared a three-year period of national mourning before officially announcing his position as the new leader.

North Korean efforts to build nuclear weapons were halted under the Agreed Framework, negotiated with U.S. president Bill Clinton and signed in 1994. Building on Nordpolitik, South Korea began to engage with the North as part of its Sunshine Policy.

21 Kim Jong-il instituted a policy called Songun, or “military first�. There is much speculation about this policy being used as a strategy to strengthen the military while discouraging coup attempts. Restrictions on travel were tightened and the state security apparatus was strengthened.

Flooding in the mid-1990s exacerbated the economic crisis, severely damaging crops and infrastructure and led to widespread famine which the government proved incapable of curtailing. In 1996, the government accepted UN food aid. Since the outbreak of the famine, the government has reluctantly tolerated illegal black markets while officially maintaining a state socialist economy.

Corruption flourished and disillusionment with the regime spread.

21st Century

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The international environment changed with the election of U.S. president George W. Bush in 2001. His administration rejected South Korea’s Sunshine Policy and the Agreed Framework. The U.S. government treated North Korea as a rogue state, while they subsequently redoubled their efforts to acquire nuclear weapons in order to avoid the fate of Iraq. On 9 October 2006, North Korea announced it had conducted its first nuclear weapons test.

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In August 2009, former U.S. President Bill Clinton met with Kim Jong-il to secure the release of two American journalists who had been sentenced for entering the country illegally. U.S. president Barack Obama’s position towards North Korea was to resist making deals with them for the sake of defusing tension, a policy known as “strategic patience.” Tensions with South Korea and the United States increased in 2010 with the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.

On 17 December 2011, the supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong-il died from a heart attack. His youngest son Kim Jong-un was announced as his successor. Over the following years, North Korea continued to develop its nuclear arsenal despite international condemnation. Notable tests were performed in 2013 and 2016. On 4 July 2017, North Korea successfully conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), named Hwasong-14.

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GEOGRAPHY

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North Korea occupies the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula, lying between latitudes 37째 and 43째N, and longitudes 124째 and 131째E. It covers an area of 120,540 square kilometres (46,541 sq mi).

North Korea shares land borders with China and Russia to the north, and borders South Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. To its west are the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, and to its east lies Japan across the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea).

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Early European visitors to Korea remarked that the country resembled “a sea in a heavy gale” because of the many successive mountain ranges that crisscross the peninsula. Some 80 percent of North Korea is composed of mountains and uplands, separated by deep and narrow valleys. All of the Korean Peninsula’s mountains with elevations of 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) or more are located in North Korea. The highest point in North Korea is Paektu Mountain, a volcanic mountain with an elevation of 2,744 meters (9,003 ft) above sea level. Paektu is very significant in Korean culture, in which it is considered a sacred place by the Korean people and is thus incorporated in the elaborate folklore around the Kim dynasty. Other prominent ranges are the Hamgyong Range in the extreme northeast and the Rangrim Mountains, which are located in the north-central part of North Korea. Mount Kumgang in the Taebaek Range, which extends into South Korea, is famous for its scenic beauty.

The coastal plains are wide in the west and discontinuous in the east. A great majority of the population lives in the plains and lowlands.

According to a United Nations Environmental Programme report in 2003, forest covers over 70 percent of the country, mostly on steep slopes.

[85] The longest river is the Amnok (Yalu) River which flows for 790 kilometres (491 mi).

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29 North Korea experiences a combination of continental climate and an oceanic climate, but most of the country experiences a humid continental climate within the Köppen climate classification scheme.

Winters bring clear weather interspersed with snow storms as a result of northern and northwestern winds that blow from Siberia. Summer tends to be by far the hottest, most humid, and rainiest time of year because of the southern and southeastern monsoon winds that carry moist air from the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 60 percent of all precipitation occurs from June to September. Spring and autumn are transitional seasons between summer and winter.

The daily average high and low temperatures for Pyongyang are −3 and −13 °C (27 and 9 °F) in January and 29 and 20 °C (84 and 68 °F) in August.

CLIMATE

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North Korea has a combination of a continental climate and an oceanic climate, with four distinct seasons. Most of North Korea is classified as being of a humid continental climate within the Kรถppen climate classification scheme, with warm summers and cold, dry winters. In summer, there is a short rainy season called changma.

31 Long winters bring bitter cold and clear weather interspersed with snow storms as a result of northern and northwestern winds that blow from Siberia. The daily average high and low temperatures for Pyongyang in January are −3 and −13 °C (27 and 9 °F). On average, it snows thirty-seven days during the winter.

Winter can be particularly harsh in the northern, mountainous regions.

Summer tends to be short, hot, humid, and rainy because of the southern and southeastern monsoon winds that bring moist air from the Pacific Ocean.

Spring and autumn are transitional seasons marked by mild temperatures and variable winds and bring the most pleasant weather. The daily average high and low temperatures for Pyongyang in August are 29 and 20 °C (84 and 68 °F).

ENVIRONMENT

32 The environment of North Korea is diverse, encompassing alpine, forest, farmland, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.

In recent years, the environment has been reported to be in a state of crisis”,“catastrophe”, or “collapse”.

Cultivation, logging, and natural disasters have all put pressure on North Korea’s forests. During the economic crisis of the 1990s, deforestation accelerated, as people turned to the woodlands to provide firewood and food. This in turn has led to soil erosion, soil depletion, and increased risk of flooding. In response, the government has promoted a tree planting program. Based on satellite imagery, it has been estimated that 40 percent of forest cover has been lost since 1985.

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GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

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North Korea functions as a highly centralized, oneparty republic. According to its 2009 constitution, it is a self-described revolutionary and socialist state “guided in its activities by the Juche idea and the Songun idea”. The Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) has an estimated 3,000,000 members and dominates every aspect of North Korean politics. It has two satellite organizations, the Korean Social Democratic Party and the Chondoist Chongu Party[143] which participate in the WPKled Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland. Another highly influential structure is the independent State Affairs Commission (SAC).

[144] Kim Jong-un of the Kim family heads all major governing structures: he is First Secretary of the WPK, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, and Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army. Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994, is the country’s “Eternal President”, while Kim Jong-il was announced “Eternal General Secretary” after his death in 2011.

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The unicameral Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) is the highest organ of state authority and holds the legislative power. Its 687 members are elected every five years by universal suffrage. Supreme People’s Assembly sessions are convened by the SPA Presidium, whose president (Kim Yong-nam since 1998) represents the state in relations with foreign countries. Deputies formally elect the President, the vice-presidents and members of the Presidium and take part in the constitutionally appointed activities of the legislature: pass laws, establish domestic and foreign policies, appoint members of the cabinet, review and approve the state economic plan, among others.[148] The SPA itself cannot initiate any legislation independently of party or state organs. It is unknown whether it has ever criticized or amended bills placed before it, and the elections are based around a single list of WPK-approved candidates who stand without opposition.

Political Ideology

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The Juche ideology is the cornerstone of party works and government operations. It is viewed by the official North Korean line as an embodiment of Kim Il-sung’s wisdom, an expression of his leadership, and an idea which provides “a complete answer to any question that arises in the struggle for national liberation”. Juche was pronounced in December 1955 in order to emphasize a Koreacentered revolution. Its core tenets are economic self-sufficiency, military self-reliance and an independent foreign policy. The roots of Juche were made up of a complex mixture of factors, including the cult of personality centered on Kim Il-sung, the conflict with pro-Soviet and proChinese dissenters, and Korea’s centuries-long struggle for independence.

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It was initially promoted as a “creative application” of Marxism–Leninism, but in the mid-1970s, it was described by state propaganda as “the only scientific thought... and most effective revolutionary theoretical structure that leads to the future of communist society”. Juche eventually replaced Marxism–Leninism entirely by the 1980s, and in 1992 references to the latter were omitted from the constitution. The 2009 constitution dropped references to communism, but retained references to socialism. Juche’s concepts of self-reliance have evolved with time and circumstances, but still provide the groundwork for the spartan austerity, sacrifice and discipline demanded by the party.

Some observers have described North Korea’s political system as an absolute monarchy or a “hereditary dictatorship”. Scholar Brian Reynolds Myers views its actual ideology as a Korean ethnic nationalism similar to statism in Shōwa Japan and European fascism.

Personality Cult The North Korean government exercises control over many aspects of the nation’s culture, and this control is used to perpetuate a cult of personality surrounding Kim Il-sung, and Kim Jong-il. While visiting North Korea in 1979, journalist Bradley Martin wrote that nearly all music, art, and sculpture that he observed glorified “Great Leader” Kim Il-sung, whose personality cult was then being extended to his son, “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il. Martin reported that there is even widespread belief that Kim Ilsung “created the world”, and Kim Jong-il could “control the weather”.

Such reports are contested by North Korea researcher B. R. Myers: “Divine powers have never been attributed to either of the two Kims. In fact, the propaganda apparatus in Pyongyang has generally been careful not to make claims that run directly counter to citizens’ experience or common sense.” He further explains that the state propaganda painted Kim Jong-il as someone whose expertise lay in military matters and that the famine of the 1990s was partially caused by natural disasters out of Kim Jong-il’s control.

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The song “No Motherland Without You”, sung by the North Korean army choir, was created especially for Kim Jong-il and is one of the most popular tunes in the country. Kim Il-sung is still officially revered as the nation’s “Eternal President”. Several landmarks in North Korea are named for Kim Il-sung, including Kim Il-sung University, Kim Il-sung Stadium, and Kim Il-sung Square. Defectors have been quoted as saying that North Korean schools deify both father and son. Kim Il-sung rejected the notion that he had created a cult around himself, and accused those who suggested this of “factionalism”. [page needed] Following the death of Kim Il-sung, North Koreans were prostrating and weeping to a bronze statue of him in an organized event; similar scenes were broadcast by state television following the death of Kim Jong-il.

Critics maintain this Kim Jong-il personality cult was inherited from his father. Kim Jong-il was often the center of attention throughout ordinary life. His birthday is one of the most important public holidays in the country. On his 60th birthday (based on his official date of birth), mass celebrations occurred throughout the country. Kim Jong-il’s personality cult, although significant, was not as extensive as his father’s. One point of view is that Kim Jong-il’s cult of personality was solely out of respect for Kim Il-sung or out of fear of punishment for failure to pay homage, while North Korean government sources consider it genuine hero worship.

The extent of the cult of personality surrounding Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung was illustrated on 11 June 2012 when a 14-year-old North Korean schoolgirl drowned while attempting to rescue portraits of the two from a flood.

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Law Enforcement and Internal Security North Korea has a civil law system based on the Prussian model and influenced by Japanese traditions and communist legal theory. Judiciary procedures are handled by the Supreme Court (the highest court of appeal), provincial or special city-level courts, people’s courts and special courts. People’s courts are at the lowest level of the system and operate in cities, counties and urban districts, while different kinds of special courts handle cases related to military, railroad or maritime matters.

Judges are theoretically elected by their respective local people’s assemblies, but in practice they are appointed by the Workers’ Party of Korea.

The penal code is based on the principle of nullum crimen sine lege (no crime without a law), but remains a tool for political control despite several amendments reducing ideological influence.

Courts carry out legal procedures related to not only criminal and civil matters, but also political cases as well. Political prisoners are sent to labor camps, while criminal offenders are incarcerated in a separate system.

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The Ministry of People’s Security (MPS) maintains most law enforcement activities. It is one of the most powerful state institutions in North Korea and oversees the national police force, investigates criminal cases and manages nonpolitical correctional facilities. It handles other aspects of domestic security like civil registration, traffic control, fire departments and railroad security. The State Security Department was separated from the MPS in 1973 to conduct domestic and foreign intelligence, counterintelligence and manage the political prison system. Political camps can be short-term reeducation zones or “kwalliso” (total control zones) for lifetime detention.[183] Camp 14 in Kaechon, Camp 15 in Yodok and Camp 18 in Bukchang are described in detailed testimonies.

The security apparatus is very extensive, exerting strict control over residence, travel, employment, clothing, food and family life. Security establishments employ mass surveillance, tightly monitoring cellular and digital communications. The MPS, State Security and the police allegedly conduct real-time monitoring of text messages, online data transfer, monitor phone calls and automatically transcribe recorded conversations. They reportedly have the capacity to triangulate a subscriber’s exact location, while military intelligence monitors phone and radio traffic as far as 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of the Demilitarized zone.

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Military

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The Korean People’s Army (KPA) is North Korea’s military organization. The KPA has 1,106,000 active and 8,389,000 reserve and paramilitary troops, making it the largest military institution in the world. About 20 percent of men aged 17–54 serve in the regular armed forces, and approximately one in every 25 citizens is an enlisted soldier.

The KPA has five branches: Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Special Operations Force, and Rocket Force.

Command of the Korean People’s Army lies in both the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the independent State Affairs Commission. The Ministry of People’s Armed Forces is subordinated to the latter.

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Of all KPA branches, the Ground Force is the largest.

It has approximately one million personnel divided into 80 infantry divisions, 30 artillery brigades, 25 special warfare brigades, 20 mechanized brigades, 10 tank brigades and seven tank regiments. They are equipped with 3,700 tanks, 2,100 armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, 17,900 artillery pieces, 11,000 anti-aircraft guns[195] and some 10,000 MANPADS and anti-tank guided missiles.

Other equipment includes 1,600 aircraft in the Air Force and 1,000 vessels in the Navy. North Korea has the largest special forces and the largest submarine fleet in the world.

North Korea possesses nuclear weapons, but its arsenal remains limited. Various estimates put its stockpile at less than 10 plutonium warheads and 12–27 nuclear weapon equivalents if uranium warheads are considered. Delivery capabilities are provided by the Rocket Force, which has some 1,000 ballistic missiles with a range of up to 3,000 kilometres.

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According to a 2004 South Korean assessment, North Korea possesses a stockpile of chemical weapons estimated to amount to 2,500–5,000 tons, including nerve, blister, blood, and vomiting agents, as well as the ability to cultivate and produce biological weapons including anthrax, smallpox, and cholera. Because of its nuclear and missile tests, North Korea has been sanctioned under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 of July 2006, 1718 of October 2006, 1874 of June 2009, and 2087 of January 2013.

The military faces some issues limiting its conventional capabilities, including obsolete equipment, insufficient fuel supplies and a shortage of digital command and control assets due to other countries being banned from selling weapons to it by the UN sanctions. To compensate for these deficiencies, the KPA has deployed a wide range of asymmetric warfare technologies like antipersonnel blinding lasers, GPS jammers, midget submarines and human torpedoes, stealth paint, electromagnetic pulse bombs, and cyberwarfare units. In 2015, North Korea was estimated as having 6,000 sophisticated computer security personnel.

KPA units have attempted to jam South Korean military satellites.

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Much of the equipment is engineered and produced by a domestic defense industry. Weapons are manufactured in roughly 1,800 underground defense industry plants scattered throughout the country, most of them located in Chagang Province.The defense industry is capable of producing a full range of individual and crew-served weapons, artillery, armored vehicles, tanks, missiles, helicopters, surface combatants, submarines, landing and infiltration craft, Yak-18 trainers and possibly co-production of jet aircraft.

According to official North Korean media, military expenditures for 2010 amount to 15.8 percent of the state budget.

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Human Rights

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North Korea is widely accused of having one of the worst human rights records in the world. North Koreans have been referred to as “some of the world’s most brutalized people” by Human Rights Watch, because of the severe restrictions placed on their political and economic freedoms.The North Korean population is strictly managed by the state and all aspects of daily life are subordinated to party and state planning. Employment is managed by the party on the basis of political reliability, and travel is tightly controlled by the Ministry of People’s Security.

Amnesty International reports of severe restrictions on the freedom of association, expression and movement, arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment resulting in death, and executions.

55 The State Security Department extrajudicially apprehends and imprisons those accused of political crimes without due process. People perceived as hostile to the government, such as Christians or critics of the leadership, are deported to labor camps without trial, often with their whole family and mostly without any chance of being released.

Based on satellite images and defector testimonies, Amnesty International estimates that around 200,000 prisoners are held in six large political prison camps, where they are forced to work in conditions approaching slavery. Supporters of the government who deviate from the government line are subject to reeducation in sections of labor camps set aside for that purpose. Those who are deemed politically rehabilitated may reassume responsible government positions on their release.

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North Korean defectors have provided detailed testimonies on the existence of the total control zones where abuses such as torture, starvation, rape, murder, medical experimentation, forced labor, and forced abortions have been reported. On the basis of these abuses, as well as persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, forcible transfer of populations, enforced disappearance of persons and forced starvation, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry has accused North Korea of crimes against humanity.

The International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK) estimates that over 10,000 people die in North Korean prison camps every year.

The North Korean government rejects the human rights abuses claims, calling them “a smear campaign” and a “human rights racket” aimed at regime change. In a report to the UN, North Korea dismissed accusations of atrocities as “wild rumors”. The government admitted some human rights issues related to living conditions and stated that it is working to improve them.

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Prisons

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Conditions inside North Korean prison camps are unsanitary and life-threatening. Prisoners are subject to torture and inhumane treatment.

Public and secret executions of prisoners, even children, especially in cases of attempted escape are commonplace. Infanticides (and infant killings upon birth) also often occur. The mortality rate is very high, because many prisoners die of starvation, illnesses, work accidents, or torture.

The DPRK government denies all allegations of human rights violations in prison camps, claiming that this is prohibited by criminal procedure law, but former prisoners testify that there are completely different rules in the prison camps. The DPRK government failed to provide any information on prisoners or prison camps or to allow access to any human rights organization. But according to a North Korean defector, North Korea considered inviting a delegation of the UN Commission on Human Rights to visit the Yodok prison camp in 1996.

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Lee Soon-ok gave detailed testimony on her treatment in the North Korean prison system to the United States House of Representatives in 2002. In her statement she said, “I testify that most of the 6,000 prisoners who were there when I arrived in 1987 had quietly perished under the harsh prison conditions by the time I was released in 1992.� Many other former prisoners, including Kang Chol-hwan and Shin Dong-hyuk, gave detailed and consistent testimonies on the human rights crimes in North Korean prison camps.

According to the testimony of former camp guard Ahn Myong Chol of Camp 22, the guards are trained to treat the detainees as sub-human, and he gave an account of children in one of the camps who were fighting over who got to eat a kernel of corn retrieved from cow dung.

The North Korean prison camp facilities can be distinguished into large internment camps for political prisoners (Kwan-li-so in Korean) and reeducation prison camps (Kyo-hwa-so in Korean).

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ECONOMY

64 North Korea has maintained one of the most closed and centralized economies in the world since the 1940s. For several decades it followed the Soviet pattern of five-year plans with the ultimate goal of achieving self-sufficiency. Extensive Soviet and Chinese support allowed North Korea to rapidly recover from the Korean War and register very high growth rates. Systematic inefficiency began to arise around 1960, when the economy shifted from the extensive to the intensive development stage.

The shortage of skilled labor, energy, arable land and transportation significantly impeded longterm growth and resulted in consistent failure to meet planning objectives. The major slowdown of the economy contrasted with South Korea, which surpassed the North in terms of absolute GDP and per capita income by the 1980s. North Korea declared the last seven-year plan unsuccessful in December 1993 and thereafter stopped announcing plans.

The loss of Eastern Bloc trading partners and a series of natural disasters throughout the 1990s caused severe hardships, including widespread famine. By 2000, the situation improved owing to a massive international food assistance effort, but the economy continues to suffer from food shortages, dilapidated infrastructure and a critically low energy supply. In an attempt to recover from the collapse, the government began structural reforms in 1998 that formally legalized private ownership of assets and decentralized control over production. A second round of reforms in 2002 led to an expansion of market activities, partial monetization, flexible prices and salaries, and the introduction of incentives and accountability techniques. Despite these changes, North Korea remains a command economy where the state owns almost all means of production and development priorities are defined by the government.

North Korea has the structural profile of a relatively industrialized country where nearly half of the Gross Domestic Product is generated by industry and human development is at medium levels.

Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is estimated at $40 billion, with a very low per capita value of $1,800.[8] In 2012, Gross national income per capita was $1,523, compared to $28,430 in South Korea.The North Korean won is the national currency, issued by the Central Bank of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

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The economy is heavily nationalized. Food and housing are extensively subsidized by the state; education and healthcare are free; and the payment of taxes was officially abolished in 1974. A variety of goods are available in department stores and supermarkets in Pyongyang, though most of the population relies on small-scale jang madang markets. In 2009, the government attempted to stem the expanding free market by banning jangmadang and the use of foreign currency, heavily devaluing the won and restricting the convertibility of savings in the old currency, but the resulting inflation spike and rare public protests caused a reversal of these policies. Private trade is dominated by women because most men are required to be present at their workplace, even though many state-owned enterprises are non-operational.

Industry and services employ 65% of North Korea’s 12.6 million labor force. Major industries include machine building, military equipment, chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing and tourism. Iron ore and coal production are among the few sectors where North Korea performs significantly better than its southern neighbor – it produces about 10 times larger amounts of each resource. The agricultural sector was shattered by the natural disasters of the 1990s.

Its 3,500 cooperatives and state farms were among the most productive and successful in the world around 1980 but now experience chronic fertilizer and equipment shortages. Rice, corn, soybeans and potatoes are some of the primary crops. A significant contribution to the food supply comes from commercial fishing and aquaculture. Tourism has been a growing sector for the past decade.

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North Korea aims to increase the number of foreign visitors from 200,000 to one million by 2016 through projects like the and continues to expand. North Korea has a number of special economic zones (SEZs) and Special Administrative Regions where foreign companies can operate with tax and tariff incentives while North Korean establishments gain access to improved technology. Initially four such zones existed, but they yielded little overall success. The SEZ system was overhauled in 2013 when 14 new zones were opened and the Rason Special Economic Zone was reformed as a joint Chinese-North Korean project. The Kaesong Industrial Region is a special economic zone where more than 100 South Korean companies employ some 52,000 North Korean workers. Outside inter-Korean trade, more than 89% of external trade is conducted with China.

Russia is the second-largest foreign partner with $100 million worth of imports and exports for the same year. In 2014, Russia wrote off 90% of North Korea’s debt and the two countries agreed to conduct all transactions in rubles. Overall, external trade in 2013 reached a total of $7.3 billion (the highest amount since 1990[294]), while inter-Korean trade dropped to an eight-year low of $1.1 billion.

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PUPULATION AND PEOPLE

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2015 estimate 25,155,317[5] (48th) 2008 census

24,052,231[6]

Density 198.3/km2 (513.6/sq mi) (63rd)

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SOCIETY

74 With the exception of a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese, North Korea’s 24,852,000 people are ethnically homogeneous. Demographic experts in the 20th century estimated that the population would grow to 25.5 million by 2000 and 28 million by 2010, but this increase never occurred due to the North Korean famine. It began in 1995, lasted for three years and resulted in the deaths of between 240,000 and 420,000 North Koreans.

International donors led by the United States initiated shipments of food through the World Food Program in 1997 to combat the famine. Despite a drastic reduction of aid under the George W. Bush Administration, the situation gradually improved: the number of malnourished children declined from 60% in 1998 to 37% in 2006 and 28% in 2013.

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76 Domestic food production almost recovered to the recommended annual level of 5.37 million tons of cereal equivalent in 2013, but the World Food Program reported a continuing lack of dietary diversity and access to fats and proteins.

The famine had a significant impact on the population growth rate, which declined to 0.9% annually in 2002 and 0.53% in 2014. Late marriages after military service, limited housing space and long hours of work or political studies further exhaust the population and reduce growth. The national birth rate is 14.5 births per year per 1,000 population. Two-thirds of households consist of extended families mostly living in two-room units.

Marriage is virtually universal and divorce is extremely rare.

Health

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North Korea had a life expectancy of 69.8 years in 2013. While North Korea is classified as a low-income country, the structure of North Korea’s causes of death (2013) is unlike that of other low-income countries. Instead, it is closer to worldwide averages, with non-communicable diseases—such as cardiovascular disease and cancers—accounting for two-thirds of the total deaths.

A 2013 study reported that communicable diseases and malnutrition are responsible for 29% of the total deaths in North Korea. This figure is higher than those of high-income countries and South Korea, but half of the average 57% of all deaths in other low-income countries. Infectious diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, and hepatitis B are considered to be endemic to the country as a result of the famine.

Cardiovascular disease as a single disease group is the largest cause of death in North Korea (2013).

The three major causes of death in DPR Korea are ischaemic heart disease (13%), lower respiratory infections (11%) and cerebrovascular disease (7%).

Non-communicable diseases risk factors in North Korea include high rates of urbanisation, an aging society, and high rates of smoking and alcohol consumption amongst men.

According to a 2003 report by the United States Department of State, almost 100% of the population has access to water and sanitation. The 60% of the population had access to improved sanitation facilities in 2000.

A free universal insurance system is in place.

Quality of medical care varies significantly by region and is often low, with severe shortages of equipment, drugs and anaesthetics. According to WHO, expenditure on health per capita is one of the lowest in the world.Preventive medicine is emphasized through physical exercise and sports, nationwide monthly checkups and routine spraying of public places against disease. Every individual has a lifetime health card which contains a full medical record.

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Education The 2008 census listed the entire population as literate, including those in the age group beyond 80. An 11-year free, compulsory cycle of primary and secondary education is provided in more than 27,000 nursery schools, 14,000 kindergartens, 4,800 four-year primary and 4,700 six-year secondary schools. 77% of males and 79% of females aged 30–34 have finished secondary school. An additional 300 universities and colleges offer higher education.

Most graduates from the compulsory program do not attend university but begin their obligatory military service or proceed to work in farms or factories instead. The main deficiencies of higher education are the heavy presence of ideological subjects, which comprise 50% of courses in social studies and 20% in sciences, and the imbalances in curriculum. The study of natural sciences is greatly emphasized while social sciences are neglected.

Heuristics is actively applied to develop the independence and creativity of students throughout the system. The study of Russian and English was made compulsory in upper middle schools in 1978.

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Language North Korea shares the Korean language with South Korea, although some dialectal differences exist within both Koreas. North Koreans refer to their Pyongyang dialect as munhwaŏ (“cultured language”) as opposed to the dialects of South Korea, especially the Seoul dialect or p’yojun’ŏ (“standard language”), which are viewed as decadent because of its use of loanwords from Chinese and European languages (particularly English). Words of Chinese, Manchu or Western origin have been eliminated from munhwa along with the usage of Chinese hancha characters. Written language uses only the chosŏn’gŭl phonetic alphabet, developed under Sejong the Great (1418–1450).

Your g uides will speak fairly decent and understandable English (some better than others) and will translate something if you wish. Other guides have the ability to speak both Korean and either Mandarin, German, Russian, Japanese, or Spanish, depending on where you come from.

Although locals may be discouraged from speaking with foreigners due to government propaganda that implies foreigners are generally up to no good, and language can prove to be an additional barrier, there is no formal law preventing citizens of the DPRK from interacting with tourists. A visit to the DPRK around their holidays may give you more of a chance to interact with the locals.

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Religion

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It is very difficult for outside observers to know what has happened to North Korean religious bodies over the past 60 years due to the extreme isolation of the state. One interpretation has held that all open religious activity in North Korea was persecuted and eradicated after Kim Il-sung took power, only to be revived in the present as part of a political show.[35] Another interpretation has held that religion survived and has genuinely been revived in the past few decades.

Kim Il-sung criticized religion in his writings, and North Korean propaganda in literature, movies and other media have presented religion in a negative light. Kim Il-sung’s attack on religion was strongly based on the idea that religion had been used as a tool for imperialists in the Korean peninsula. He criticized Christians for collaborating with the United Nations’ forces against him during the Korean War, although he praised Christians who supported him.

North Korea is an atheist state where public religion is discouraged. There are no known official statistics of religions in North Korea. According to Religious Intelligence, 64.3% of the population are irreligious, 16% practice Korean shamanism, 13.5% practice Chondoism, 4.5% are Buddhist, and 1.7% are Christian. Freedom of religion and the right to religious ceremonies are constitutionally guaranteed, but religions are restricted by the government. Amnesty International has expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.

The influence of Buddhism and Confucianism still has an effect on cultural life. Chondoism (“Heavenly Way�) is an indigenous syncretic belief combining elements of Korean shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism and Catholicism that is officially represented by the WPK-controlled Chongu Party.

The Open Doors mission claims the most severe persecution of Christians in the world occurs in North Korea. Four state-sanctioned churches exist, but critics claim these are showcases for foreigners.

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Formal Ranking of Citizens’ Loyalty

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According to North Korean documents and refugee testimonies, all North Koreans are sorted into groups according to their Songbun, an ascribed status system based on a citizen’s assessed loyalty to the regime. Based on their own behavior and the political, social, and economic background of their family for three generations as well as behavior by relatives within that range, Songbun is allegedly used to determine whether an individual is trusted with responsibility, given opportunities, or even receives adequate food.

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Songbun allegedly affects access to educational and employment opportunities and particularly whether a person is eligible to join North Korea’s ruling party. There are 3 main classifications and about 50 sub-classifications. According to Kim Il-sung, speaking in 1958, the loyal “core class” constituted 25% of the North Korean population, the “wavering class” 55%, and the “hostile class” 20%. The highest status is accorded to individuals descended from those who participated with Kim Il-sung in the resistance against Japanese occupation during and before World War II and to those who were factory workers, laborers, or peasants in 1950.

While some analysts believe private com merce recently changed the Songbun system to some extent, most North Korean refugees say it remains a commanding presence in everyday life. The North Korean government claims all citizens are equal and denies any discrimination on the basis of family background.

CULTURE

Despite a historically strong Chinese influence, Korean culture has shaped its own unique identity.

[339] It came under attack during the Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945, when Japan enforced a cultural assimilation policy. Koreans were encouraged to learn and speak Japanese, adopt the Japanese family name system and Shinto religion, and were forbidden to write or speak the Korean language in schools, businesses, or public places.

After the peninsula was divided in 1945, two distinct cultures formed out of the common Korean heritage. North Koreans have little exposure to foreign influence. The revolutionary struggle and the brilliance of the leadership are some of the main themes in art. “Reactionary” elements from traditional culture have been discarded and cultural forms with a “folk” spirit have been reintroduced.

Korean heritage is protected and maintained by the state. Over 190 historical sites and objects of national significance are cataloged as National Treasures of North Korea, while some 1,800 less valuable artifacts are included in a list of Cultural Assets. The Historic Sites and Monuments in Kaesong and the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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Art Visual arts are generally produced in the aesthetics of Socialist realism. North Korean painting combines the influence of Soviet and Japanese visual expression to instill a sentimental loyalty to the system.

All artists in North Korea are required to join the Artists’ Union, and the best among them can receive an official licence to portray the leaders.

Portraits and sculptures depicting Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un are classed as “Number One works”.

Most aspects of art have been dominated by Mansudae Art Studio since its establishment in 1959. It employs around 1,000 artists in what is likely the biggest art factory in the world where paintings, murals, posters and monuments are designed and produced.

The studio has commercialized its activity and sells its works to collectors in a variety of countries including China, where it is in high demand. Mansudae Overseas Projects is a subdivision of Mansudae Art Studio that carries out construction of large-scale monuments for international customers. Some of the projects include the African Renaissance Monument in Senegal, and the Heroes’ Acre in Namibia.

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Music The government emphasized optimistic folk-based tunes and revolutionary music throughout most of the 20th century. Ideological messages are conveyed through massive orchestral pieces like the “Five Great Revolutionary Operas” based on traditional Korean ch’angguk. Revolutionary operas differ from their Western counterparts by adding traditional instruments to the orchestra and avoiding recitative segments. Sea of Blood is the most widely performed of the Five Great Operas: since its premiere in 1971, it has been played over 1,500 times, and its 2010 tour in China was a major success. Western classical music by Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and other composers is performed both by the State Symphony Orchestra and student orchestras.

Pop music appeared in the 1980s with the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble and Wangjaesan Light Music Band. Improved relations with South Korea following the Inter-Korean Summit caused a decline in direct ideological messages in pop songs, but themes like comradeship, nostalgia and the construction of a powerful country remained. Today, the all-girl Moranbong Band is the most popular group in the country. North Koreans have also been exposed to K-pop which spreads through illegal markets.

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Literature

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Unlike the former Soviet Union, no literary underground exists and there are no known dissident writers.All publishing houses are owned by the government or the WPK because they are considered an important tool for propaganda and agitation. The Workers’ Party of Korea Publishing House is the most authoritative among them and publishes all works of Kim Il-sung, ideological education materials and party policy documents.The availability of foreign literature is limited, examples being North Korean editions of Indian, German, Chinese and Russian fairy tales, Tales from Shakespeare and some works of Bertolt Brecht and Erich Kästner.

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Kim Il-sung’s personal works are considered “classical masterpieces” while the ones created under his instruction are labeled “models of Juche literature”.

These include The Fate of a Self-Defense Corps Man, The Song of Korea and Immortal History, a series of historical novels depicting the suffering of Koreans under Japanese occupation. More than four million literary works were published between the 1980s and the early 2000s, but almost all of them belong to a narrow variety of political genres like “army-first revolutionary literature”.

Science fiction is considered a secondary genre because it somewhat departs from the traditional standards of detailed descriptions and metaphors of the leader. The exotic settings of the stories give authors more freedom to depict cyberwarfare, violence, sexual abuse and crime, which are absent in other genres. Sci-fi works glorify technology and promote the Juche concept of anthropocentric existence through depictions of robotics, space exploration and immortality.

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REGIONS

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Donghae Coast

(North Hamgyong, South Hamgyong, Kangwon, Kŭmgang-san)

Baekdu Mountains

(Ryanggang, Chagang)

Pyongan (North P’yongan, South

P’yongan, Pyongyang, Shinuiju) Hwanghae (North Hwanghae, South Hwanghae, Kaesong)

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Cities

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Pyongyang

the capital city and the former capital of Goguryeo during the Three Kingdoms period

Hamhung North Korea’s second largest city Chongjin Industrial city in the North

East, very rarely visited by tourists Kaesong former capital during the Goryeo dynasty Wonsan

East coast port city slowly opening to tourists

Nampho

industrial centre and port city on the western coast

Rason SEZ

special economic zone that borders Russia and China

Other destinations Chilbosan

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the Seven Treasures Mountain with surreal rock formations accessible via car from Rason SEZ or plane from Pyongyang

Kumgangsan the scenic Diamond Mountains,

accessible on tours from the South Myohyangsan the Mysterious Fragrant Mountain

is one of the North’s best hiking spots Paektusan the tallest mountain in Korea

and the Kim dynasty’s mythical birthplace Panmunjom the last outpost of the Cold War

in the DMZ between South and North

FACTS

FOR

THE

VISITOR

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BEFORE ARRIVING

106 Visiting North Korea can be challenging, and you will not have the freedom to explore the country without a North Korean escort, either as part of a group or individual tour.

Citizens of South Korea are normally not permitted to visit North Korea. In addition, there have been reports of difficulties regarding Israeli, American and Japanese nationals. In January 2010, North Korea lifted the restrictions on American citizens who are now free to visit at any time of the year - but they are not allowed to travel by train (especially the train to Beijing) or to participate in homestay-programs. Contrary to rumour, Israelis and Jewish citizens of other countries do not face any additional restrictions.

Visa and Documents Citizens of all countries will need a visa, which will only be issued after your tour has been booked, approved by the North Korean authorities and paid for.

Journalists (or those suspected of being journalists) require special permission, which is quite difficult to obtain. The North Koreans do not allow journalists to visit the country on tourist visas. A specialist North Korean travel agency can help you sort out the complex and ever-changing regulations. North Korea will rarely in practice refuse a visa to a tourist who meets the various requirements.

Tourists often arranged a tourist visa through booking a tour with the travel agencies that organise such tours. The travel agencies will usually deal with the visa on their behalf, although in some cases tourists are required to have a short telephone interview with the North Korean embassy in order to verify their identity and their job.

In most cases the interviews are conducted in a friendly matter so it is nothing to be worried about. Visas are often only confirmed on the day before the tour, but rarely will a tourist ever get rejected (unless you show that you are of political status or being a journalist).

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North Korean tourists visas are often issued on a tourist card. If joining a tour group, group visas are often issued on separate sheets of papers containing all the members of the group, attached with a tourist card that bear the name of the tour leader. This visa is never held by the tourists, although tourists can ask to take a photo of the visa themselves. In both case, no stamp will be put onto the passport. The only way where a visa and entrance stamp will be put on the passport is when the visa is issued in European embassies, which is very rare for tourists to visit North Korea as most travel agencies operate tours out of China (and hence only arranged the visa in China.)

With prior notice via your tour operator, tourist visas can be obtained on the same day (around a 20 minute wait) for GBP20 at the DPRK Embassy in London. Groups such as Choson Exchange, which bring participants to teach entrepreneurship and business, receive an official visa instead of a tourist visa.

Visa-free Entry from South Korea

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There is one place in North Korea that can be visited without needing any kind of North Korean visa: Joint Security Area (often called by the misnomer Panmunjom), the jointly controlled truce village in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, has regular one-day bus tours from Seoul for a list of restricted nationalities - see Panmunjom article for details. {Until 2009, visa-free - actually, special group visa - tours were possible to two other places in North Korea — however, all travel from the ROK to these DPRK locations has been terminated as a result of the 2008 killing of South Korean tourist Park Wang Ja by a DPRK soldier in 2008. (All assets held by the former South Korean operators of these tourist facilities in the North were seized by the DPRK rÊgime in 2011.)

Tours North Korea can be visited by an organised tour or as a volunteer with an educational organization such as Choson Exchange. Prices start from around USD1,000/€900/GBP770 for a 5-day group tour including accommodation, meals and transport from Beijing, but can go up considerably if you want to travel around the country or “independently” (as your own one-person escorted group).

No matter which company you decide to book with, all tours are hosted on the ground by one of the DPRK’s state owned travel companies such as the Korean International Travel Company (the oldest and largest), Korea International Youth and Children’s Travel Company, or Korea Sporting Travel Company (with the exception of a few, such as Choson Exchange, and Krahun Co., who work directly with various government ministries, domestic DPRK NGOs, and other entities in DPRK) and it will be their guides who show you around. The average number of tourists per group each company takes will vary considerably so you may want to ask about this before booking a trip.

Most people travelling to

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112 North Korea will travel through Beijing and you will probably pick up your visa from there (some agents arrange their visas elsewhere beforehand though). The North Korean consulate building is separate from the main embassy building at Ritan Lu, and can be found round the corner at Fangcaodi Xijie. It’s open M/W/F; 09:30-11:30 plus 14:00-17:30 and Tu/Th/Sa only 09:30-11:30. Bring your travel permission, USD45 and two passport photos. You can also enter DPRK through Rason SEZ or Namyang via Yanji, China, or Dumangang City via Khasan, Russia.

Your guides will take your passport and keep it during your stay in North Korea, or at least for the first couple of days of your tour, for “security reasons” (or simply because your entry and exit dates must be registered - the black stamps on the back of your visa or passport). Make sure your passport looks decent and doesn’t differ from the most common passports from your country.

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Embassies

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Few western countries have an embassy or consulate in North Korea. For many years the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang was the only western embassy, although today there are embassies for several European countries including the UK, Poland, Germany, Romania and Czech Republic.

Money In 2002 Foreign Exchange Certificates (FEC) were abolished and along with them went all the different coloured currencies. Now there is just the standard North Korean won, which officially trades at approximately 100 per US dollar or 140 per euro (August 2013) but has the same symbol as the South Korean won: ₩. Black market rates (especially in far northern Korea, near the Chinese border) may easily be 20 times the official rate, but importing or exporting Korean won is strictly forbidden and life threateningly dangerous. Conversely, were you to sneak out some won, they are practically worthless outside the country, but make unique souvenirs.

In reality, foreigners are expected to use euros or, as an alternative, Chinese yuan, US dollars, or Japanese yen. Getting the local money is possible, but it is difficult to use as many shops want foreign currency. Currency handling is often bizarre, with a frequent lack of change and a number of ruleof-thumb conversions leading to highly unorthodox transactions. So be sure to bring lots of small change. On the other hand, since you will already have paid in advance for your hotel, transportation, and meals, your only expenses will be bottled water, souvenirs, snacks, drinks at the bars, laundry at the hotel (which is as expensive as in Europe), and tips for your guides.

Prices will be given in won, and you’ll then have to ask, “How much is this in euro? And in dollars?”.

In August 2012, euro got you the best value for your money. Bring some small change, there’s not always enough.

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Rules

118 You will not have access to anyone or anything that is not part of your authorised tour. You will not get any insight into how local North Korean people live. Your tour will be highly choreographed to visit only authorised sites, shop in approved stores, and speak only to official guides.

Do not break any of the rules of the tour; doing so will place your guide at risk. He/she will be subjected to imprisonment and even torture, for assisting your “espionage”. Do what the guides do, praise every stop on your tour, and remember the rule, “If you have nothing good to say, don’t say it at all.”

It is a criminal act in North Korea to show disrespect to the country’s current and former leaders, Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-Sung. Persons violating the laws of North Korea, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned.

119 Any unauthorized activities can and will be seen as an attempt at espionage. If you travel unescorted without explicit official authorization, or any attempt to talk to a North Korean citizen authorities will see these actions as attempted espionage. Always stay with a guide and never do anything to draw attention to yourself from local authorities.

Do not take pictures unless you are told you can; North Korean government authorities may view taking unauthorized pictures as espionage, confiscate cameras and film and/or detain the photographer.

Photographing scenes of poverty or other things that may cause a negative impression of the DPRK may also result in confiscation. You should ask permission before taking photographs in the DPRK, including of officials, soldiers or other people. DPRK guides can provide permission to take photographs

Phones

COMMUNICATIONS

120 International calling is generally possible from hotels, though it is expensive ($5 per minute to the USA as of 2016).

There is no international roaming available in North Korea. As of January 2013 with the availability of pre-paid SIM cards, mobile phones are no longer held by customs and can be brought by visitors into the country, but a local SIM must be purchased.

A 3G mobile phone network (Koryolink) was introduced in Pyongyang in 2008 and now covers the 42 largest cities. A Mexican Telecommunications, TelMex Journey Mexico, also runs a 3G network in the country and is best used for phones originating in North/South American countries. SIM cards and phones can be purchased at the International Communication Center in Pothonggang District, opposite the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium, as well as Pyongyang airport and some hotels. For tourists, you will need to get a prepaid SIM card.

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Your handset will need to be 2100MHz WCDMA compatible.

Calling rates are €1.43 per minute to China and South East Asia; €0.68 per minute to Russia; €0.38 per minute to France and Switzerland; and €1.58 per minute to the UK and Germany. Do note that local calls (to North Korean numbers used by DPRK citizens) are generally not possible. Data plans are technically available but you will need to be a long-staying foreigner (not a tourist) to get approval for these.

When making international calls (either on a landline or mobile) you should assume a possibility of your calls being monitored, and act accordingly.

Internet

122 Internet facilities are limited, as few locals have permission to use it. There are no public internet cafes or business centres with web access in the hotels. Internet access is possible via the 3G network, and also through connections at some of the larger hotels; however, if you are a tourist on a short stay visa it’s unlikely you will be able to use these services in practice.

Those on an extended stay, or travelling for business, may be able to get on-line but this needs to be confirmed and arranged some days in advance.

Advise your tour operator or inviting party of your requirements well ahead of time. As with anything else in North Korea, if you do obtain access you should assume it’s possible for your traffic to be monitored, and use the Internet accordingly. Also, they into mind that the DPRK works under a intranet.

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Banned Items

BOOKS, MAGAZINES AND CD’S

124 The North Korean government is known to try to control the media. Books, magazines and CDs can be confiscated if the content is considered inappropriate, although customs usually doesn’t bother to take English books away if there are no explicit photos depicting politics of North Korean.

In general, use common sense.

So-called Anti-North Korean Government materials will generally be confiscated: These include the Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman, etc, etc.

Pornography: A heavy penalty is imposed on all pornography and penalties are counted based on the number of pieces you bring into the country. If customs considers what you bring to be too much, lets say, more than 100 videos on your devices, they will likely detain you. Possession of pornography within North Korea carries the death penalty and is strictly enforced.

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PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO

126 The DPRK has very strict laws about taking pictures though there are many great photographing opportunities around the country, particularly in cities such as Pyongyang. Again, this largely depends on the guides assigned to you and how relaxed they feel to trust that you won’t do anything to embarrass them. While it may have been true in the past to “not look at” or “take pictures of” people in the DPRK, you may be also surprised to be able to take a picture of a wedding couple or of a grandmother taking their grandson out for a walk waving back.

Also, do not take photographs of anything that could be of strategic importance (i.e. places with a soldier(s)/policemen in front of it) or of things that you been told specifically not to. Again, as emphasized before, always ask your guides if you are ever in doubt.

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HEALTH

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North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world. As with other under-developed countries, the water is not always properly treated and there are reports of foreigners being hospitalized in the DPRK after drinking the water, so sticking to bottled water is highly recommended.

Medical facilities are clean, but very outdated and often suffer a lack of doctors who are actually healthy. If you fall ill you might be better off going to China for medical treatment. Contact your embassy or consulate in North Korea (if your country has one) for assistance. US citizens may contact the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang for advice if needed.

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DANGER AND ANNOYANCES

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WARNING: Under no circumstances are you to say anything that could be perceived as an insult to or critical of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Un, the Juche ideology, the Songun policy, the ruling Worker's Party of Korea, the North Korean government in general, or the citizens of North Korea.

Simply avoid these topics if you can do so.

Keep in mind that anyone can be an undercover government agent, so respond accordingly when this subject is at hand, always keep in mind you might be tested and pushed into admitting your real feelings on these subjects, whatever they may be.

You and your guide are likely to face serious trouble. "In trouble" does not mean a slap on the wrist. North Korea is known for extremely harsh punishments which range (for the guides) from lengthy forced labor sentences to 20 years in a Forced Labor Camp, while you are likely to be sentenced to a stay in a local prison or labor camp, deported, and banned from re-entering. Be wary of your surroundings.

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They will probably sit down and explain the rules ahead of time. Keep your mouth shut and you will be fine. You don’t have to talk about how great the Kim family is, or praise songun or Juche; just be polite, nod, and bow when others do and there will be no problems.

The authorities are very touchy, and you need to watch what you say and how you say it. Some topics such as South Korean’s living standard and the capitalist reform in China will definitely make officials very angry. Just do what the guides do, praise every stop on your tour, and remember the golden rule, “If you have nothing good to say, don’t say it at all.”

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134 Crime levels are practically zero, at least to tourists on a strictly controlled tour. However, pickpockets are the least of your worries. Also, the official policy is that you are not to wander around on your own.

You are expected to get permission and/or have a guide accompany you if you are leaving your hotel on your own. This will vary depending on what hotel you are in. The Yanggakdo Hotel is on an island in the middle of the Taedong River in Pyongyang.

Therefore you can walk around the area a little more freely than if you are at the Koryo Hotel in the city centre. You should always be friendly and courteous to your guides and driver who will normally reciprocate by trusting you more and giving you more freedom.

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For taking photographs, one needs to exercise restraint, caution and common sense. If you appear to be looking for negative images of North Korea, the guides will not be happy and will tell you to delete any questionable images. In particular, you are not to take photos of anything military, including personnel, or anything showing the DPRK in a bad light.

As noted before, your photographic freedom can largely depend on the type of guides that you are assigned and the rapport that you have with them.

In a best case scenario, you can often take pictures without feeling as if you’re trying to sneak them by anyone and without pressure capturing some truly unique images. If you are in an area that prohibits picture taking, you will also be informed of this and it is best to simply follow your guide’s direction.

When in doubt, always ask. Your guide might even want to try out your camera and take a picture of you for your collection.

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In a worst case scenario, you can be expected to raise your camera at a reasonable speed, compose and take the picture, and lower the camera at a reasonable speed. Don’t try to take pictures of anything that you have been told not to, such as military personnel or certain locales. This may call attention to yourself and the image you are trying to take and can result, whether justified or not, in your being told to delete the image.

If you are a person of Korean descent, don’t ever, ever tell anyone in the country that you are Korean, as you may be easily suspected as a person from South Korea, and as a result you are most likely to experience severely harsh punishments as well as being mistaken for entering illegally.

Drug trafficking can be punishable by death in North Korea, and even any consumption of narcotics can be fatal. Cannabis, however, is not banned and is mostly used for producing fibre. It can be often found growing freely alongside the road in North Korea.

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RESPECT

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It is important to emphasize that the government of the DPRK -- in particular the leaders Kim Ilsung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un -- are, publicly, very highly revered in North Korean culture. While slavish devotion is not expected from tourists, especially given that the Juche philosophy of the DPRK is specifically aimed at the Korean people only and is not applicable to foreigners, criticizing them in any way is highly offensive and illegal, and will get you and particularly your guides into trouble. It is not worth inadvertently threatening your and their lives by insulting their leaders.

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Also, when in North Korea, it is advisable to refer to the country as the DPRK instead when discussing it with your guides. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and is the official name for the country reflecting their belief that the south (not capitalized) is occupied territory. Despite what the rest of the world may think, this is what they will refer to their country as. You will also notice this referenced in their literature in the same way (south Korea).

Bringing gifts such as cigarettes or Scotch whisky for the men, both guides and the driver, and chocolate or skin cream for female guides, is a nice gesture. Please be respectful toward your guides, especially since North Korean guides are known to occasionally take tourists whom they trust well enough to see other places and events in North Korea that they wouldn’t ordinarily go to. This can also extend to how freely they may feel about your picture taking. Remember, they may be as curious about you as you are about them.

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Most, if not all, tour groups to the DPRK are asked to solemnly bow and lay flowers on one or two occasions in front of statues of Kim Il Sung when visiting monuments of national importance.

If you’re not prepared to do this, do not even try to enter North Korea. Just be sure you always act in a respectful manner around images of the two leaders. This includes taking respectful photos of any image of them. When photographing statues, especially Mansudae, be sure to get the entire statue in the photo. Formal dress is also expected at important monuments such as Mansudae or in visiting the Kumsusang Memorial Palace.

Any trouble you cause as a tourist will likely be blamed on your tour guide’s inability to control you, and he or she will bear the brunt of the penalties. Additionally, future tourists will be allowed less freedom and will face increased restriction on where they can visit and what they can photograph.

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Other than your tour guide, you will likely not meet anyone else in your trip who speaks English; a few Korean words and phrases are a nice internationalist gesture.

Despite the sharp political differences, North and South Koreans generally share a common culture; the various tips in the South Korea article under respect (such as using two hands to pour drinks) will also help here.

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ACCOMMODATION

146 This is likely to be your principal expense while in North Korea. You may only stay at “designated tourist hotels”, for which you will need to pay in hard currency. There may be discounts if you ask for lower class accommodation, if you are travelling as part of a group, or if it is low season (November – March). Costs for your tour, which will include accommodation, all sightseeing activities and meals, will range from US$70 to US$200 a day, depending on these factors.

Usually you pay for all your meals, hotel and Beijing– Pyeongyang journey to your tour operator before you leave. One week in high season at a four-star hotel will then cost something between €1,300 and €1,600, depending on your tour operator, but might get as low as €800 for five days.

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FOOD

Your guide will order all your food for you, and you will eat in hard-currency only restaurants.

Vegetarians and people with food allergies/dislikes of common foods such as seafood or eggs will need to make arrangements in advance. A visit to a “real� local restaurant may be possible; enquire with your guide.

There are a few western food options now in Pyongyang and these restaurants can usually be visited if arranged with the guides in advance. They will usually require additional payment though (unless you have discussed this already with your tour operator) as the costs are not included in the per diem fee charged by the Korean Travel Company. There are 2 Italian restaurants (one on Kwangbok Street which is near the Korean circus where the pizza is great, and they have imported a pizza oven and all the ingredients so the quality is very high; and one near the USS Pueblo) and 2 burger restaurants (the more accessible is in the Youth Hotel). Both are inexpensive and do inject some flavour onto a generally lacklustre eating scene - especially on long tours! Visit the Vienna coffee house which is on the river side of Kim Jong Il square, for a pretty good coffee served like you would get in Europe.

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155 Some North Korean dishes and foods are also prepared in South Korea, and a multitude of dishes that originated in North Korea were brought to South Korea by migrating families after the Korean War. Many of these imported dishes became staples in the South Korean diet.

In North Korea, some dishes vary in flavor compared to South Korean versions, with some North Korean dishes being less spicy and more varied in composition compared to South Korean preparations.

North Korean dishes have been described as having a unique and specific tanginess that is derived from using ingredients with flavors of sweet, sour, pungent and spicy, in combinations that create this effect.

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Some restaurants, particularly in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea, have expensive pricing relative to average worker wages in North Korea. Accessibility to restaurants is not always available to average North Korean citizens, with tourists and rich citizens being the primary patrons at some of them, particularly upscale ones. Per their pricing, upscale restaurants are typically only available to well-paid leaders of the North Korean government, tourists visiting the country, and the emerging affluent middle class of donju in the country. Donju means “”masters of money”, and the donju typically hold positions in the government, positions operating state-owned businesses outside of the country, and positions involving bringing investments and the importation of products into the country.

Some street foods exist in North Korea, such as in Pyongyang, where vendors operate food stalls.

North Korea’s first pizzeria opened in 2009.

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DRINK

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The legal drinking/purchasing age of alcoholic beverages is 18 and is heavily enforced.

The local speciality is insam-ju, Korean vodka infused with ginseng roots. Locally made Taedonggang beer is very good--the brewery was purchased from Ushers in the UK and moved to Pyongyang--and some of the sojus are not bad either. Local alcohol is inexpensive; a 650mL bottle of beer is â‚Ź0.50.

Imported beers, such as Heineken, are also available at similar prices. However do not get drunk and cause trouble. Toe the line and show respect, or you and your guide will face serious penalties.

Bottled water is imported from China, and is typically consumed by the donju, “the new affluent middle class” in North Korea. “Sindeok Saemmul” is a spring water produced in North Korea, but it is exported to countries in Southeast Asia, and is typically not available in the North Korean market.

Coffee Instant coffee – some instant coffee in North Korea is produced within the country Daechucha – a traditional Korean tea prepared with jujube and a pine nut garnish Ginseng tea – a common beverage in North Korea[44] Soft drinks – soft drink bottlers exist in North Korea, such as the Wonbong Trading Co. in Pyongyang.

Soft drink products produced within North Korea are sometimes labeled as “carbonated sweet water”.

Imitations of major soda brands, such as Coca-Cola, are produced in North Korea. Sometime in 2017, Air Koryo, North Korea’s flagship airline, began offering its own brand of soft drinks on flights to and from Beijing, China. Air Koryo soft drinks are also purveyed at some North Korean grocery stores. Coca-Cola bottled in China is available in upscale grocery stores in Pyongyang, and Pepsi bottled in China is also available, although it is rare compared to Coca-Cola’s availability.

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SHOP

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The only shops you will be likely allowed to visit are the state-run souvenir shops at your hotel and at the various tourist attractions. It is generally impossible to visit a real local shop which serves the local population, though you might get lucky asking your guide if he/she trusts you enough.

Credit cards are useless, either for online usage or for non-existing ATMs.

Souvenirs

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There are numerous hard-currency only souvenir shops at tourist sites. Interesting souvenirs include propaganda books and videos, postcards and postage stamps. At some tourist sites (such as King Kongmin’s tomb), you can purchase freshly finished paintings with your name and the artist’s name at the bottom.

And if you are very lucky you might be able to get hold of some Socialist Realism paintings, although customs officials are not keen on these things going out of the country, so do beware.

On the tour to Kaesong tourists are warned not to purchase anything that could be construed as North Korean propaganda including any images of North Korean leaders such as stamps or postcards. No biographies or books are permitted back into South Korea. This is a South Korean restriction. It does not apply to border crossings with China. If you are leaving the country via flight to Beijing or train via Dandong you should encounter no problems bringing home any North Korean merchandise for your own personal enjoyment.

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You are, however, allowed to buy post cards and send them to yourself in any country except South Korea which apparently will not deliver them.

Some excellent paintings on silk or linen were available in Kaesong directly from the artist.

Haggling for price is not permitted but the prices are very low.

Costs

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You will pay for most things up-front as part of your tour. Most sights have a shop associated with them where you can buy bottled water, souvenirs and snacks. These are reasonably priced. In August 2007, large bottles of local beer cost US$2 at the hotel bars in Pyongyang. If you haven’t planned on spending money on gambling at the casino at Yanggakdo Hotel, ₏200 for one week should be enough to cover your costs of water, drinks at the bars, souvenirs and tips for the guides.

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THINGS TO DO

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There is very little to do beyond the watchful eye of your designated minder(s), with most recreational activity taking place within the confines of the tourist resorts. Bowling and karaoke are among the latest additions to its surprising abundance of recreational activities. The karaoke videos are often accompanied by dramatic historical footage of the Korean War, or goose-stepping People’s Army soldiers.

Interestingly enough, North Korea has three amusement parks, two of which are abandoned due to mutual lack of interest and electricity. Sadly, the Kaeson Youth Fair has now closed, taking the infamous “Roller

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Coaster of Death� along with it. Still visible are the shooting-galleries with backdrops of snarling American and Japanese soldiers; however, it is unlikely that your guide will let you venture into any abandoned areas. The one remaining amusement park contains some rides which are actually quite modern and non-lethal, at least by North Korean standards, and is about as worthy of a visit as everything else you’ll see whilst in North Korea.

Each year the government, along with various tourist agencies, operates a marathon in Pyongyang and, in 2015, a on the sacred Mount Paekdu in the remote north of the country. The latter is a sacred place to both North and South Koreans.

The night life in Pyongyang is remarkably safe and non-violent, compared to the capitals of other nations. In general, the civilians are not a threat.

The plain-clothes secret police, however, may or may not be a threat, depending on what you say or do. The North Korean definition of popular music is at least two decades behind the rest of the world; expect an onslaught of 80s hits from the West (some obviously are copies unauthorised by the original artists, to judge by the quality), punctuated by the eerie caterwauling of Korean folk songs, and at least try to look enthusiastic about the whole scene. Fortunately, alcohol is cheap and plentiful, although it is not advisable to become intoxicated and make a scene of oneself. Furthermore, both the trafficking and consumption of narcotics are punished VERY severely by authorities; traffickers can expect to face the death penalty if caught, although Marijuana isn’t treated as a narcotic in North Korea and is considered legal. Note that Marijuana is considered as a narcotic in China, and transporting any of them back to China may get you into a jail or even death penalty as transporting narcotics is one of the non-negotiable crimes in China.

Finally, please note that power cuts may hit without warning in the middle of any activity.

Whilst you might welcome this if the jukebox is starting to get to you, this is not a desirable outcome if you are in the middle of an amusementpark ride, particularly as these blackouts can last for hours at a time.

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THINGS TO SEE

182 All tours are accompanied by a guide from a local state owned travel company (not “minders�, and not from the government except in the broadest sense that everyone in the DPRK has on paper a job at some state-owned institution or another), who will decide what you can and cannot see. From the moment you leave your hotel, expect to be accompanied by one or more guides. Besides ensuring that tourists do not stray outside of the designated tourist areas, their jobs include inspecting any photographs which they think do not portray North Korea or its government in a good light, and ordering photographers to delete them. It is generally advisable to listen to what your guide is saying, and agree with it. Asking awkward socio-political questions will result in vague, evasive replies at best, and several hours of interrogation at worst.

If you are uncertain about taking pictures anywhere, ask your guide. (Permission for subjects seems to vary wildly; you may get a guide that is relatively relaxed and will allow you to take pictures from a bus or within a city. On the other hand, you may get one that will strictly adhere to controlling where you take pictures restricting anything taken from a tour bus or of certain areas, like Pyongyang’s city streets, in general. There is simply no way to tell until you are actually on a tour.) If you think a particular photograph might be embarrassing to the DPRK in general, ask or simply don’t risk taking it at all.

Photography of military personnel is also generally prohibited. Again, if in doubt, ask your guide.

However, there are instances where it is impossible not to photograph certain sites without including a few military personnel within the picture such as at Mansudae (the monument site for the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il) or at a local funfair. Reactions seem to vary between being ignored to curiosity, although you will be told where it is strictly prohibited from taking pictures (such as at certain areas of the DMZ) and the guards/soldiers there will react unfavourably to being photographed in general.

Other areas where photographs are prohibited is inside the Friendship Exhibition displaying gifts from around the world to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and within the Kumsusan Memorial Palace.

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184 The majority of sightseeing consists of visits to various war memorials, monuments to the Great Leader and the Workers Party of Korea, and numerous museums (mostly war-related, like the statues and monuments).

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a popular destination for most tour groups in North Korea.

Please note that whilst you are in North Korea, the prevailing viewpoint places blame on the Americans for starting the Korean War; disagreeing with this position is likely to cause problems for both you and your guide particularly as the two Koreas are still technically at war with only a cease-fire between them. Despite its misleading name, the DMZ is heavily guarded and dotted with minefields and other booby-traps. Under no circumstances must you stray from your group, or take any photographs of military installations. However, the “peace village” Panmunjom may be photographed, and boasts the world’s third tallest flagpole.

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Whilst on these guided tours, especially to the state museums and monuments, you will undoubtedly endure an ongoing barrage of propaganda, consisting largely of anecdotes about things that Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il did for their country. Some of these claims may seem bizarre and even amusing to the outsider; however, a straight face is generally advisable. It is generally safest to at least appear to take everything they say seriously, even if it contradicts everything you were ever taught in history class or defies even the most basic human reasoning.

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GET AROUND

194 All your transport needs will be dealt with by your tour company. Most of the time this means buses, although tour groups visiting remote sites (eg.

Paekdusan, Mount Chilbo) occasionally use chartered flights by Air Koryo. Wandering around on your own is not allowed, and you are required to have a guide to escort you at all times.

A carefully stage-managed five-station ride on the P’yĹ?ngyang metro is included on the itinerary of most trips to Pyongyang, but use of any other form of local public transport is generally impossible.

If travelling in a small enough group it is also possible to organise a walk through some areas of Pyongyang with some travel agents (Koryo).

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Plane

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North Korea’s sole airline, Air Koryo, currently has scheduled flights from Beijing, which depart at 11:30 every Tuesday and Saturday, and return from Pyongyang at 09:00 on the same days. These flights are often supplemented with additional charter flights to suit demand. Air Koryo also flies to and from Shenyang every Wednesday and Saturday, from Vladivostok every Tuesday morning, and from Kuala Lumpur every Sunday.

199 Air Koryo is the only one star airline on Skytrax’s list. To date, Air Koryo has only had one incident resulting in death, in Africa in 1983. The Air Koryo fleet consists largely of Soviet-made aircraft built between 1965 and 1990. However, most Soviet-era aircraft are restricted to operating domestic flights only. Currently, a small fleet of modern (less than 10 years old) Tupolev Tu-204 and Antonov An-148 jets handle international routes. Domestically, you’ll most likely end up on one of their four Ilyushin IL-62-Ms (1979-1988 vintage), but Air Koryo also flies Tu-154s dating back to the seventies and Tu134s from 1983.

The only other airline with scheduled service to North Korea is Air China, a member of the Star Alliance, which flies three times weekly from Beijing to Pyongyang. Neither Aeroflot nor China Southern continue to fly to North Korea.

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Train Train K27/K28 connect Pyongyang to Beijing in China via Tianjin, Tangshan, Beidaihe, Shanhaiguan, Jinzhou, Shenyang, Benxi, Fenghuangcheng, Dandong and Shinuiju four times a week. There is only one class on the international train between Beijing and Pyongyang: soft sleeper. It can be booked at the station in Beijing, but reservations must be made several days in advance. Your tour agency will usually do this for you, unless you are travelling on work purposes. It has been increasingly difficult to book space on the Beijing–Pyongyang route, so confirm your tickets well in advance.

Once a week train K27/K28 also conveys direct sleeping cars from Moscow via China to Pyongyang and vice versa. The route is Moscow - Novosibirsk - Irkutsk - Chita - Harbin - Shenyang - Dandong - Shinuiju Pyongyang. Departure from Moscow is every Friday evening, arrival at Pyongyang is one week later on Friday evening. Departure from Pyongyang is Saturday morning, arrival at Moscow is Friday afternoon.

Tourists from Dandong are often arranged to take the train from Dandong to Sinuiju (just across the Yalu River from Dandong), or a bus from Dandong to Sinuiju. North Korean officers come into the train to check the passport and give it to the tour guide.

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North Korean officers also do a manual check of the entire luggage, and will ask to look at some of the photos taken in North Korea. Tourists then change to a domestic train (sometimes a special tourist train with a/c) to travel from Sinuiju to Pyongyang.

Returning from Pyongyang, tourists often take the domestic train (or again, the special tourist train) back to Sinuiju where they either buses to the border and take the bus back to Dandong or change back to the Dandong-Sinuiju train back to Dandong.

Immigration procedures in the North Korean side are taken on the train or before boarding the bus.

There is also a direct rail link into Russia, crossing the North Korean/Russian border at Tumangan/Khasan.

This route is served by a direct sleeping car Moscow - Pyongyang and vice versa and runs twice monthly (11th and 25th from Moscow), arriving Pyongyang 9 days later. However, since the mid-nineties this has not been an officially permitted route for tourists, and KITC refuses to organize trips using this route; two Western tourists have been successful in taking this train into North Korea, but report that further trips on this route would probably be unsuccessful.

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205 Some agents can arrange to cross the border from Dandong to Sinuiju by minibus and then board a domestic North Korean train to Pyongyang. Usually you will be seated in a hard seat carriage with KPA soldiers and party workers travelling with their families. There is access to a restaurant car which stocks imported beers (Heineken) and soft drinks as well as some local beers and spirits.

Taking photographs on this train is strictly forbidden. This train is supposed to take around 4 hours to reach Pyongyang but has been known to take as long as 14. If travelling in winter be prepared that temperatures inside the carriage can be as low as -10°C. American and Japanese citizens are currently restricted from taking the train into and out of the DPRK due to poor bilateral relations.

Boat

206 There is an unscheduled cargo-passenger ship between Wonsan and Niigata, Japan. Only available for use by some Japanese and North Korean nationals, the boat service has been suspended indefinitely due to North Korea’s reported nuclear testing; Japan has banned all North Korean ships from entering Japanese ports, and has banned North Koreans from entering the country. Be careful about getting too close to the North Korean border in a boat; many South Korean fishermen are still waiting to leave North Korea.

Besides the unscheduled ferry there is also a cruise ship that operates between the coast of Northeastern China, and Mt. Kumgang. Joint operated

by China and North Korea the cruise line uses a 40 year old ship. The cruise trip is 22 hours long at each leg, and is 44 hours long in total, but as a person outside of China you may not be allowed to go on the cruise to Mt. Kumgang.

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Bus

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A bus is theoretically available from Dandong, China, across the Yalu River to Sinuiju. It’s run by the “Dandong China Travel Company” but is only open to Chinese citizens at present. You can also take a private bus from Dandong over the SinoKorea Friendship Bridge (the same bridge ove the Yalu river that the trains take) but it is booked through the travel company you are using to enter North Korea as part of the tour.

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Capital Government Currency

Area Population Language Religion Electricity Country code Internet TLD Time Zone Emergencies

Pyongyang Juche unitary state North Korean won (₩, KPW) Chinese renminbi (CNY) Euro (€) US dollar (USD) (The renminbi, euro, and US dollar are commonly used on the black market, and often reserved for foreigners) 120,540km² 24,895,000 (2013 census) Korean Juche (state philosophy), Cheondoism, Buddhism, Christianity 220V, 60Hz (European plug) 850 .kp UTC +8:30 dial 119 or 112 from a mobile (only some operators speak English)