North Korean tourism is a controversial issue often portrayed as a step into the unknown with no going back. Reports of tourists detained for years or worse for breaking rules are enough to scare off most before they’ve even begun. But for some the chance to visit one of the most secretive places on earth is simply too much to resist. Up to four thousand Westerners visit North Korea each year by joining strictly guided tours, along with thousands of neighboring Chinese.
In a recent interview however, North Korean activist and defector Yeonmee Park strongly discouraged foreigners from visiting the country for the purpose of tourism. While I respect her opinion and can only imagine some of the difficulties she faced there, this approach of further isolation sends out the wrong message. After decades of diplomatic failure, tourism is essential to opening up North Korea and drawing back the curtain that shields its despotic regime.
Having visited the country myself in 2012, I think there are a number of misunderstandings about tourists who go there that need to be addressed. Firstly, almost everyone who visits the country is aware that what they are getting is a carefully choreographed version of reality. Tourists do not ‘visit Disneyland and talk to Mickey Mouse’ and come back thinking they are experts (as Ms Park claimed). Guides were challenged as much as possible and many tourists declined laying flowers at the feet of the enormous bronze statue of Kim Il Sung, the founder and eternal President of North Korea. While enjoying the hospitality of the people, we were under no illusion that things were entirely authentic.
Whether it was the young girl in Pyongyang Park being forced to dance an old pop routine despite protesting she was tired. Or the endless tales about the Kims that were clearly false or exaggerated. Most foreigners simply wanted to see for themselves what little they could in order to help raise awareness about the plight the country. Whether through blogs, videos or word of mouth, it all helps keep attention focused on the issues there.
I was since introduced to an Australian travel documentary maker expressing interest in visiting North Korea. After sharing my experiences with him he went on to make a short film about his own trip entitled, ‘North Korea — Open for Tourism’ (
For much of its history North Korea has remained out of sight and out of mind. Despite decades of sanctions and diplomatic isolation, the regime there maintains a stranglehold over people’s lives. There has been little dissent despite unimaginable misery and almost no liberalization despite undergoing several changes in leadership. The longer North Korea remains segregated from the outside world, the harder it digs its heels in and clings to old prejudices and grievances.
But despite attempts to control everything coming in and out of the country, increased numbers of people crossing the border makes this tougher to police. If small cracks begin to appear then in time they may grow. You often hear about phones, DVDs and other items smuggled into the country that can empower citizens. This ‘butterfly effect’ can have unknown consequences when new ideas are planted and old ones challenged.
The most frequent criticism of North Korean tourism is that it helps prop up the Workers Party of Korea. Critics argue that money generated is used to fund oppression and foreigners are turned into propaganda tools. However, oppression and propaganda are both areas the regime has proven over decades that it doesn’t require outside help to excel in.
While it is true the majority of money goes directly to elites in Pyongyang, without this additional income there would simply be less to go around and conditions in rural areas would be even worse than they currently are. Although it’s hardly fertile ground for trickle down economics, there is some evidence of investment geared towards tourism occurring such as the Masikryong Ski resort in eastern Kangwon province.
I will finish with a story that gives me hope about the positive effects tourism can have. It occurred around midnight during a journey through Pyongyang and was the a part of my visit I know was not scripted. As our coach carrying around twenty Westerners was driving to our hotel, we were forced to pull over for an unscheduled bathroom break. While we lined up in the cold behind some bushes, bright lights started to appear in the distance and before long a huge convoy of military personnel began arriving for the following day’s Centenary celebrations in the capital.
It took almost one hour for the convoy to pass before we could continue our journey and as truck after truck of armed soldiers drove by, we started to wave. To our surprise not only did the soldiers wave back, their waves soon turned into smiles and then into cheers. Before long every truck that passed us was cheering loudly and waving at a group of foreigners by the side of the road in a spirit of friendship not opposition. This was not about us showing our support for a despotic regime and it was not about them putting on an impromptu display of propaganda. It was simply about strangers from different lives and different worlds, meeting for the briefest of moments and saying hi. I hope one day that conversation will be longer.