Would you visit North Korea?

DEFTLEFTHAND

Myself and a friend are heading to Beijing on a one way flight this July. A Wedding



We've left our return date open as we were planning to mess around for a while after, the two of us work like dogs yr round, for the first time in ages we're going to take a 3 full weeks off .


I suggested a tour of North Korea, 8 days all inclusive for 1100 US Dollars.
I actually really want to do it , a once in a lifetime experience .

wakka12

It would be fascinating but Id be terrified of being imprisoned or executed for no reason

Yurt2

Know a few people that have made the trip; it's expensive and not too many opportunities to go off-piste. Not everyone's idea of a holiday but it certainly would be unique.

Funnily enough, a travel agency in Limerick (Global Village Tours - not connected with them btw) organize trips.

B.A._Baracus

No I wouldn't.
It is like going down a dark alley that people have got jumped and mugged before. You say to yourself it will be grand. However it if happens to yourself what do people rightly say? Why did you go down there?!!?!?

Do what you want. I personally wouldn't.

Irish passport? Yeah, go for it.

Loads of my friends want to go cause we're decently close to it. We're all interested in the facade. But I'm lazy so probably won't do it.

Yurt2

Double post

missykat

I completed the marathon in North Korea. It was pricey but I’m glad I went. You will be brought on the tourist route of all the ‘spectacular’ buildings and museums they have but I met some Americans who work in the university there and they also shared their experiences. It was definitely a highlight for me.

Canis Lupus

As I mentioned previously I would like to but ultimately my tourist dollars would be propping up vicious dictatorship and I wouldn't be comfortable with that.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Apparently all tourists bound for NK attend a lecture before travelling. No mention of WW2 and the real reasons behind the Korean War.

Also the upmost importance of showing respect to the Kim Dynasty at all times.


The tourist company I'm researching have great reviews.
Great beer in the DPRK by the sounds of things..

whisky_galore

It would be pretty safe from a tourist perspective, unless you do something stupid. Everything you do will be carefully watched.

I wouldn't be interested as it looks like a lot of money to visit an oppressive country just for bragging rights.

mcgregor2019

I visited a couple of years ago from Dandong, the closest city to the North Korean border. Took the train, place was a bit weird, heavily monitored, price was really high, though it did include everything, an English speaking guide, bus, hotel, food, etc.... It's really safe, nothing to worry about, assuming that follow the rules

Agent Coulson

8 days for 1100 dollars all inclusive that's about 950 Euros so about 115 euro's a day to visit NK.


I'd be up to paying that if I was over that side of the world.


I would love to visit however i'd be conflicted about my tourist dollar propping up vicious dictatorship over a once in a lifetime experience.

branie2

Definitely not!

Yamanoto

Though it appears fascinating in its difference, I'd be worried the reality would be soulless hotel rooms, bad food and no meaningful interactions with local people.

It could actually be simultaneously interesting and boring.

riffmongous

No thanks, I wouldn't be comfortable getting shown and indirectly supporting this facade while the real people are suffering crippling poverty and repression on the other side of the veil

Charles Ingles

Agent Coulson wrote: »

8 days for 1100 dollars all inclusive that's about 950 Euros so about 115 euro's a day to visit NK.


I'd be up to paying that if I was over that side of the world.


I would love to visit however i'd be conflicted about my tourist dollar propping up vicious dictatorship over a once in a lifetime experience.

Why not go with an open mind,
Might surprise you that it's not under the control of a vicious dictatorship.
My son visited and said a lot of mistrustful "facts" put out about NK, the people love their leadership

OldMrBrennan83

Not a chance. I wouldn't go to Asia in the first place anyway, but definitely not some dictatorship hellhole.

Gimme A Pound

Beyond me why people would finance that dictatorship and view a fake facade as fascinating. While people are suffering unimaginably, but the tourists get to go home to their comfortable lives in freedom then (unless they are Otto Warmbier). In very poor taste imo. Also pretty stupid - who knows what innocuous but dangerous thing you could say after a few drinks that could land you or the tour guide in trouble.

And show respect for the dictatorship? Eh no.

Gimme A Pound

Charles Ingles wrote: »

Why not go with an open mind,
Might surprise you that it's not under the control of a vicious dictatorship.
My son visited and said a lot of mistrustful "facts" put out about NK, the people love their leadership

He'll be complaining about the place in another post. Don't feed.

stateofflux

Charles Ingles wrote: »

Why not go with an open mind,
Might surprise you that it's not under the control of a vicious dictatorship.
My son visited and said a lot of mistrustful "facts" put out about NK, the people love their leadership

I would love any leadership with a gun pressing against my neck

Nobelium

A person might go out of geopolitical interest, but you'd need to be extremely careful about what you bring, do and say at all times in all places, including your "private" room. We don't wan't to be spending our Irish taxpayers money, and giving NK diplomatic leverage for the sake of bailing out some Irish adventure tourist clown in NK who didn't have his wits about him.

On second thoughts, apart from the above, a tourist trip there cannot be justified ethically, and you don't want to be on the wrong side of history.

The Satanist

I'd love to go there. I spent a week in Iran, which some people claimed was part of an axis of evil but I found it to be a wonderful place full of warm, friendly people.

Visit a country where people are impoverished but vast motorway networks are constructed for a handful of cars and where a persons entire family can be brutally punished for a minor misstep and where human rights are an alien concept to the barbaric shadowy miasma that is the leadership, who live in spendour while the population mainly consists of starving tatterdemalions, and support that brutality by giving them my tourist money?

That would be a no.

Nobelium

Candie wrote: »

Visit a country where people are impoverished but vast motorway networks are constructed for a handful of cars and where a persons entire family can be brutally punished for a minor misstep and where human rights are an alien concept to the barbaric shadowy miasma that is the leadership, who live in spendour while the population mainly consists of starving tatterdemalions, and support that brutality by giving them my tourist money?

That would be a no.

You make an excellent point and a reminder of reality. Ethically it's very questionable taking a tourist trip there.
it's like taking a tour of a concentration camp while it's still in actual operation.

Charles Ingles

stateofflux wrote: »

I would love any leadership with a gun pressing against my neck

My son works as an engineer and traveled quite a bit around the country.
He said the people are very warm but standoffish, but the parts he visited were beautiful he had some great pictures would it be ok to post here?

rgodard80a

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Would you visit North Korea?.

Yes, but only in a stealth bomber.

Ten of Swords

Don't plan to ever go but if I did I'd probably give Pyongyang a miss, I'd probably visit the Myohyangsan region or maybe Masikryong Ski Resort

stefanovich

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Myself and a friend are heading to Beijing on a one way flight this July. A Wedding



We've left our return date open as we were planning to mess around for a while after, the two of us work like dogs yr round, for the first time in ages we're going to take a 3 full weeks off .


I suggested a tour of North Korea, 8 days all inclusive for 1100 US Dollars.
I actually really want to do it , a once in a lifetime experience .

Might be the last thing you do.

judeboy101

Canis Lupus wrote: »

As I mentioned previously I would like to but ultimately my tourist dollars would be propping up vicious dictatorship and I wouldn't be comfortable with that.

There are a hell of a lot of countries in the world you'll have to avoid with that criteria.

Strumms

wakka12 wrote: »

It would be fascinating but Id be terrified of being imprisoned or executed for no reason

You be grand, they would execute but they’d give you a reason.

OldMrBrennan83

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

Not a chance. I wouldn't go to Asia in the first place anyway, but definitely not some dictatorship hellhole.

Some lovely spots you're missing out on.

BorneTobyWilde

Should respect another countries culture if you visit, if you're not going to do that then why the hell would you visit.

killbillvol2

I was there in 2016. Very interesting place, a very controlled experience. I'll probably go back and see a bit more.

Food was good, drank soju more than beer, much more interesting. The few locals we met were curious but very reserved. Your luggage, laptop, phone etc. are pretty thoroughly searched entering and leaving.

It's ultra safe while you're there unless you do something stupid.

Gimme A Pound

judeboy101 wrote: »

There are a hell of a lot of countries in the world you'll have to avoid with that criteria.

Indeed there are unfortunately.

Masala

Not after seeing what they did to the Otto boy... and how helpless the US was in getting him out. And afterwards.... no complaints.

killbillvol2

sugarman wrote: »

Have had a few friends that visited it in large tour groups.

You wont run into any bother with an Irish passport and once you remain respectful to their culture (regime).

Id personally like to visit it if I am ever in a position to do so.

Your passport is irrelevant unless it's South Korean or US. They collected our passports on arrival and gave them back as we boarded the train to leave.

bells of shandon

Worked in Dalian in North China for a couple of years. Visited Dandong which is near the end of the Great Wall and from where the bombed out bridge from the Korean War leads into N.Korea. Visited Pyongang and surrounds ,no problem ,civilised and friendly people, safer than O'Connell St on a Friday night
Do not mention US Air Force General the phsycopath Curtis le May, who bombed it flat during the Korean War, and boasted he did not leave a stone standing and killed over 20% of the population.

OldMrBrennan83

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Some lovely spots you're missing out on.

Would never interest me. I'm not one that enjoys travel at the best of times but I'd definitely be too uncomfortable in Asia (and a lot of other places) to ever enjoy it.

Nobelium

Deleted User wrote: »

Some lovely spots you're missing out on.

The scenery makes no difference . . . it's the circumstances, ethically I wouldn't be interested in taking a gawking tourist tour of Ireland during the famine, or a concentration camp during it's operation either.

Nobelium

Nobelium wrote: »

The scenery makes no difference . . . it's the circumstances, ethically I wouldn't be interested in taking a gawking tourist tour of Ireland during the famine, or a concentration camp during it's operation either.

I was talking about Asia, not North Korea.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

I knew quite a few who visited when I was living in South Korea. I didn't really want to go there. As other posters have said, my money would be propping up the dictatorship.

Capt'n Midnight

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

I knew quite a few who visited when I was living in South Korea.

Remember the North Korean tourist agency's slogan.

Visit North Korea before North Korea visits you.

Gimme A Pound

Masala wrote: »

Not after seeing what they did to the Otto boy... and how helpless the US was in getting him out. And afterwards.... no complaints.

Following investigation though, it appears that he wasn't beaten/tortured or sent to a forced labour camp (and this is from US officials themselves). That only happens to the poor divils who live there. He was sent to a place for foreign prisoners which is ok for propaganda reasons. It's a mystery how he died but post mortems show no evidence of physical abuse (I read a very good and detailed piece in either Time Magazine or The New York Times). Not that I'd envy him, and nothing could make me visit there. The tour company he went with closed afterwards. With good reason.

Something arrogant imo about such tours catering to privileged westerners.

y0ssar1an22

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

No I wouldn't.
It is like going down a dark alley that people have got jumped and mugged before. You say to yourself it will be grand. However it if happens to yourself what do people rightly say? Why did you go down there?!!?!?

Do what you want. I personally wouldn't.

That sounds like victim blaming to me. Didn't think that was allowed

Masala

Yehuda Refined Brick wrote: »

Following investigation though, it appears that he wasn't beaten/tortured or sent to a forced labour camp (and this is from US officials themselves). That only happens to the poor divils who live there. He was sent to a place for foreign prisoners which is ok for propaganda reasons. It's a mystery how he died but post mortems show no evidence of physical abuse (I read a very good and detailed piece in either Time Magazine or The New York Times). Not that I'd envy him, and nothing could make me visit there. The tour company he went with closed afterwards. With good reason.

Something arrogant imo about such tours catering to privileged westerners.

Thought his parents commented on his condition. His teeth all misaligned, his body contorted, he couldn't see etc etc..... surely his parents know the truth

Nobelium

y0ssar1an22 wrote: »

That sounds like victim blaming to me. Didn't think that was allowed

it's allowed all the time, depends on the identity politics angle of the victim/aggressor though.

Gimme A Pound

Masala wrote: »

Thought his parents commented on his condition. His teeth all misaligned, his body contorted, he couldn't see etc etc..... surely his parents know the truth

They don't though, and naturally they're going to believe he was badly treated. I totally believed he was abused too - thinking what else could it have been, but that article is very eye opening. Worth looking up.

killbillvol2

Yehuda Refined Brick wrote: »

.... The tour company he went with closed afterwards. With good reason.

No. It didn't. I travelled with them and they've expanded significantly in the last couple of years.

Nobelium

Masala wrote: »

Thought his parents commented on his condition. His teeth all misaligned, his body contorted, he couldn't see etc etc..... surely his parents know the truth

nah what would they know, NK is all good and a great destination for mugs

janfebmar

Masala wrote: »

Thought his parents commented on his condition. His teeth all misaligned, his body contorted, he couldn't see etc etc..... surely his parents know the truth

Poor Otto was accused of attempting to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel, for which he was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment with hard labor.
Shortly after his sentencing in March 2016, he suffered a severe neurological injury from an unconfirmed cause and fell into a coma, which lasted over a year. North Korean authorities did not disclose his medical condition until June 2017.

According to wiki,i n 2018, a U.S. federal court found the North Korean government liable for Warmbier's torture and death, in a default judgment in favor of Warmbier's parents after North Korea did not contest the case.

No I do not think I would help prop up (with my tourist euros) such a regime as North Korea thanks.

Infini

Wouldn't step foot in the place would be better off just visiting South Korea instead if your going that way NK is just too shady.