Travel to North Korea – Episode 361

Hear about travel to North Korea as the Amateur Traveler talks to Matt from England about his recent trip to this closed and insular country.

This may be one of the most unusual episodes of the Amateur Traveler as this may be one of the more unusual countries we have covered. The country was included in George W. Bush’s list of “the axis of evil”. While Matt will make a case that you absolutely should visit North Korea we will talk about some of the ethical considerations as well as some of the reasons you may not want to actually move to North Korea.

You can only visit North Korea on a tour and your itinerary will be very structured. Everywhere you go you will see monuments to Kim Jong-Un, Kim Il-sung, and Kim Jong-il the son, father, and grandfather dynasty that has ruled this country since 1912. You will also find that the supreme leader has opinions about everything you do, including how you take pictures on your trip. Crop that picture of one particular golden statue so that you don’t get the entire statue and you might get all your photos deleted when guards review your photos as you exit the country.

Matt visited the capital Pyongyang where people have to have specific dispensation to live, where everyone has a portrait of the supreme leader in their apartment, and where someone has the job to make sure those portraits are displayed, level, and dusted.

The highlight of the trip for Matt was the Mass Participation Games which are a “socialist realism extravaganza”. Before your trip Matt recommends you watch the documentary A State of Mind about the country and about the games in particular.

right click here to download (mp3)
right click here to download (iTunes version with pictures)

Show Notes

Matt from England
North Korea Travel Advice
Pyongyang
Inside North Korea: The Nation Under Isolation
North Korea Film Studio
Arirang Mass Games

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