I have never once in my life been to any other country except my own. Almost everyone I know here on hive or probably literally all of them have shared lots of their travels from all around the world and as a person who has never stepped any grounds besides the Philippines, I want to put a twist and share with you the countries and places I would certainly, absolutely wish to visit one day.
First off, North Korea. You might wonder why I would ever want to visit that most people would not recommend traveling there?
So why?
Well, I had never thought of it before, I've only been daydreaming of traveling the world without really thinking of what countries I'd visit. Until, economics class. My Economics teacher was discussing with us different kinds of economies and under the "command economy" North Korea was one of the countries mentioned that are still implementing communism. I was beyond interested and for the first time since the class had started, I was listening with complete interest to my teacher. North Korea was described as a prison. They're overreacting, I thought. And as my teacher discussed further I was more and more interested in it and so I researched and watched a bunch of videos and saw how sad the reality of North Korea is.
North Korea
Before it was North Korea it was joined with South Korea, and it was a country called Korea. But after the world war, II Korea was split up.
Kim Il-sung was the founder and first supreme leader of the country, and today he holds the title of "eternal president". He died back in 1944, and so I wondered why he was still considered as the "president". And then I found out North Korea is the only standing country that considers Necrocaracy. What is necrocracy you ask?
Well, it means a government that operates under the rules of a former, dead leader.
When he died his son Kim Jong-Il took over and when he passed his son Kim Jong-Un, the present leader of North Korea took over.
The leadership in North Korea is all based on their bloodline. Since North Korea is a command economy you have no right to have private property or whatsoever, even you are owned by the government. Okay, so enough facts about North Korea let's look at its bright side and see what the tourist spots are there.
Tourism in North Korea
First of all, how do you get to North Korea?
In response to the threats posed by COVID-19, North Korea closed its borders to foreign tourists on 22 January 2020. (I am not so sure if this is how it is now because the information I got was way back in 2019)
How to get to North Korea:
In a video, I watched by Nas Daily the only way he got to North Korea was by taking a train from Beijing, China going to the border of North Korea
(Dandong "DPRK" border, China) on a 24-hour trip. The only way you could enter was by joining an organized tour group. The moment you enter the border all your belongings will be checked including "every picture in your cell phone". All of it is tightly controlled by the government.
All tourism is organized by one of several state-owned tourism bureaus, including Korea International Travel Company (KITC), Korean International Sports Travel Company (KISTC), Korean International Taekwondo Tourism Company (KITTC), and Korean International Youth Travel Company (KIYTC)
Tourist spots
Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about 109 km (68 mi) upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in Korea. Much of the city was destroyed during the First Sino-Japanese War, but it was revived under Japanese rule and became an industrial center.
Kaesong is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close to the border with South Korea and contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace.
Wonsan is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan, and the provincial capital. The port was opened by occupying Japanese forces in 1880.
In 2013, it was announced that Wŏnsan would be converted into a summer destination with resorts and entertainment.[1] Having spent his childhood years there, Kim Jong-un has expressed significant interest in further developing the region, with the construction of new infrastructure such as Kalma Airport, a dual-use civilian international airport, and military proving ground.
That wraps up about everything I've learned about North Korea and the tourist spots are wonderful! Are you up for a trip to North Korea?
I'd like to end this blog by sharing a quote from Ibn Battuta.
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