North Korea Guide
Introduction to North Korea
Espionage, famine and nuclear brinkmanship; perpetrator-in-chief of an international axis of evil; a rigidly controlled population under the shadowy rule of a President long deceased... you've heard it all before, but North Korea's dubious charms make it the Holy Grail for hard-bitten travellers. A trip to this tightly controlled Communist society is only possible as part of an expensive package, but a high proportion of those fortunate and intrepid enough to visit rank it their most interesting travel experience.
North Korea is officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or the DPRK. However, real democracy is thin on the ground, and comparisons with the police state in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four are impossible to avoid: in addition to a regime that acts as a single source of information, residents of Pyongyang, and many other cities, do indeed wake up to government-sent messages and songs broadcast through speakers in their apartments, which can be turned down but never off – the fact that this is often the cue for callisthenic exercises further strengthens associations with the book. Also true is the rumour that locals have to wear a pin-badge portraying at least one of the leaders – Kim Il-sung, the country's inaugurator and "Great Leader", and the "Dear Leader", his eldest son Kim Jong-il. Interestingly, Kim Il-sung remains the country's official president, despite having died in 1994.
For all this, North Korea exerts a unique appeal for those willing and able to visit. Whether you're looking out over Pyongyang's oddly barren cityscape or eating a bowl of rice in your hotel restaurant, the simple fact that you're in one of the world's most inaccessible countries will bring an epic feel to everything you do. It's also important to note the human aspect of the North Korean machine. Behind the Kims and the carefully managed stage curtain live real people leading real lives, under severe financial, nutritional, political and personal restrictions unimaginable in the West. All the more surprising, then, that it's often the locals who provide the highlight of a visit to the DPRK – many, especially in Pyongyang, are extremely happy to see foreigners visiting their country.