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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 .

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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.

[Deleted User]

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.

Nobelium

janfebmar wrote: »

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.

According to some of the NK tourist fanboys here, Otto must have just slipped in the prison shower . . .lol

dd973

Resembles 1970's Limerick with skyscrapers.

Not likely.

endacl

Visit a sh1thole run by sh1theels?

No thanks.

Gimme A Pound

killbillvol2 wrote: »

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

My mistake - got that completely wrong. They stopped including Americans on the tours to NK, which they had to anyway.

And I said the lengthy article I read about Otto Warmbier was in Time or the NY Times. Neither - it was GQ: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gq.com/story/otto-warmbier-north-korea-american-hostage-true-story/amp

Gimme A Pound

Nobelium wrote: »

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

Nobelium wrote: »

According to some of the NK tourist fanboys here, Otto must have just slipped in the prison shower . . .lol

Trying to find those posts.

Anyone would assume he was brutalised and killed by the regime of course. But if you read about the aftermath and investigation, it doesn't quite add up like that. I didn't want to believe it either - a straightforward explanation is preferable with regard to what happened, but you can't fault me for simply talking about what I read. I'm still one of the regime's critics.

The Enbalmer

A friend of mine was over there..You have a "guide" that follows you everywhere,your rooms are bugged (seriously!)and they monitor your phone calls.
Apparently the people are nice enough and the food (as a tourist) isn't too bad at all.

whisky_galore

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

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

Sounds like all of Asia just dodged a bullet.

OldMrBrennan83

whisky_galore wrote: »

Sounds like all of Asia just dodged a bullet.

Oh you.

Me and them both.

md23040

The Enbalmer wrote: »

Apparently the people are nice enough and the food (as a tourist) isn't too bad at all.

Because of the embargo and poor soil conditions doesn’t the regime use human excrement as a substitute for soil fertilizer? There’s no way I’d eat any of their food no matter what. There’s no way I’d want to have a load of worms and parasites in my body like 100% of fleeing dissidents.

whisky_galore

Weepsie wrote: »

Just go to South Korea. Seoul is great, Busan is great. Stay in Hahoe near Andong
It's like going back 1000 years in time, but they have better WiFi than our cities. Food is incredible, people are great.

There's even better WiFi in some supposedly backward and Communist countries compared to here.