As my reader may be aware, North Korea is without doubt the most closed and secretive country on earth. For North Korea, arch enemy number one and the very devil incarnate is the United States which, we are told, is to blame for all the ills and woes of the country despite the heroic efforts of the Kim dynasty.
While the US and many other countries have very strict controls as to what their citizens/companies can export to North Korea, Continue reading “Have a Coke and Choco Pie”
Should you visit North Korea it will not take you long to realise that anything of any importance is named after Kim Il-sung or more recently, since his death in 2011, Kim Jong-il.
It will thus come as no surprise that the most important flowers (trumping the national flower, the magnolia) in North Korea are the Kimilsungia and Kimjongilia. Yes indeed, that is what they are called – I kid you not. Continue reading “Admire the Flowers of the Leaders”
It is not normal that I write a review recommending that readers watch TV when they visit a location, but North Korea is not your everyday normal location. Continue reading “Watch TV – in North Korea”
The purpose of this review is to introduce you to the key people you should be familiar with prior to visiting North Korea. You will certainly be well aware of them before you leave unless you close your eyes and plug your ears for the duration of your trip! Continue reading “Get to know your Kims”
This is not really a warning but rather something to be aware off.
Anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of North Korea will be aware that the United States of America is public enemy number one, the very devil incarnate. Continue reading “Americans in North Korea”
There are numerous rules for tourists in North Korea. The ones around photography are the most complicated, confusing and inconsistent.
Very few visitors, apart from those who have no camera, make it through a tour of North Korea without being counselled on their photography – or rather, being told off for taking a photo when they should not have. Continue reading “Photography in North Korea”
My reader will perhaps be rather perplexed by why my first picture in a North Korean money review is of some Euro’s and my second is of a Chinese and an American note while the local currency of North Korea, the won, is relegated to picture three. Continue reading “Money in North Korea”
While in Pyongyang you will invariably have the opportunity to take a ride on the metro and you might even get to experience a short ride on a trolley bus. Such trips are very much provided as ‘things to do’ as opposed to being a way to get to somewhere. Continue reading “Getting around the DPRK and On-board Entertainment”
During my time in North Korea I visited the capital, Pyongyang, and a number of other locations (see below) including Sinuiju on the northern border with China. Sinuiju has only recently opened to overseas tourists (excluding those from the USA and South Korea). Continue reading “And Now for Something Completely Different”
Two airlines fly into North Korea (officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), the national airline, Air Koryo and Air China. Invariably you will fly in from Beijing to Pyongyang though a few tourists enter from Vladivostok and there are on again off again flights from Shanghai. Continue reading “Getting into the North Korea – By Air”
The Rambling Wombat 