FAQ's concerning North Korea

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How safe is it? The DPRK is probably one of the safest countries to visit. I have made several journeys into the country since 1995 and never once have I or any member of my groups felt threatened in any way. I have never had any problems with the Korean authorities, we have not had anything stolen in fact on two occasions I have had returned to me items that had been left behind on previous trips by members of the group. As far as foreign relations are concerned all Europe (apart from France) and many other countries such as Canada, Australia etc. have diplomatic relations with North Korea and they encourage people to visit NK. I have always found the Korean people most welcoming and we are seen as guests in their country. If you smile (doesn't cost a lot) and are polite, you will receive a very positive response. It is one of few remaining places in the world where there are few visitors and you and your attitude can have a big effect on those you meet. Friendship Tour travelling parties I'm not keen on travelling with a group - can I travel there independently? I can offer independent tours for yourself or group of friends. However fully independent travel is just not possible in North Korea, your Korean guides are obliged to be with you all day every day. In North Korea travelling in a group is often much more fun and relaxing than being on your own for several days with just two Korean guides and your driver, so in this case a group makes better sense. Friendship Tours has always had two of the best guides (male and female) and they are always very good company and are always willing to learn more of the English language. It is possible to make good friends with them in the time you are there. A typical tour consist of between 8 and 15 tourists, most are made up of couples, individual travellers and perhaps one or two friends. There is always a full day's itinerary so you are kept busy. There is plenty of time in the evenings to be on your own if you wish. If you prefer your privacy there is the option of having your own room but there is a single room supplement for this. How much will the tour cost? The tours are extremely good value for money because they are all inclusive. The days are packed with places to visit and things to see. The price includes travel from Beijing to Pyongyang, accommodation (3 or 4 star hotels), meals and guides and all coach travelling. I believe that the itineraries are excellent and full (some have felt too full on occasion)but there is just so much for the visitor to see. I do acknowledge that tours are expensive but the main reasons for this are the restrictions on foreign visitors to DPRK; there is currently only one airline (although Air China are scheduled to start flying in 2008) so no competition to keep prices down, and there is a limited choice of hotels that are available to foreigners, all expensive ones. It should be noted however that the tours I sell are all inclusive from Beijing to DPRK and back to Beijing (with two nights b & b in Beijing), and include return plane tickets, hotel accommodation, meals, guides, transport around DPRK and entrance fees to the places visited, extra money is only required for extra drinks with your meals, tips and souvenirs/general spending money. Should I travel to North Korea? Why not? What an opportunity to visit a country that has been shut off from the rest of the world for so long! There are no restrictions for you to visit (unless you are a journalist or a citizen of the United States or South Korea) and the United Nations, European Union encourage folk to travel as a positive way to engage with the country. Any contact we have with the Korean people has to be beneficial in breaking down barriers, particularly as many people outside Pyongyang have not seen let alone interacted with foreigners. If you join a tour at the right time of year eg May Day, wonderful experiences can be had such as joining in folk celebrations with the Koreans on their day off. Tourists have experienced being approached by Koreans, sometimes children, who practice broken English on them. In the West we often think of the Koreans as dull and forbidding but this picture is soon changed when you meet them; yes, they are a very proud people and although their life is a struggle their humour and warmth often puts us from the relatively rich west, to shame. What differences are there between a group tour and an independent tour? Group tours are on set dates that I have scheduled in advance, usually to coincide with a major holiday or event in DPRK, see our tours page for details of forthcoming group tours. Independent tours are tours for which you choose the dates and have more control over the itinerary (although it still has to be arranged in advance), the downside of this is that independentor small group tours tend to cost more (please see the rates that accompany each itinerary) as there are fewer people in the group, if you have a group of friends or colleagues who would like to travel with you then the more people in the group the lower the price will be. All tours, whether group or independent, are accompanied by two Korean guides and a driver, even if the 'group' consists of just one person. How long does it take to get a visa? I will ask you to complete application forms for your tour at least one month before the departure date. The visa can be issued in Beijing just before the tour or in your home country (if you have a DPRK Embassy there). You must let me know when you intend to leave your home country so that I can arrange the best place to have the visa issued. Can I take pictures/video? There are restrictions on photography that have to be obeyed in DPRK. You can take pictures of most things and everyone who visits always takes many more pictures than they think they will (batteries are hard to come by and extra digital memory cards and sticks are NOT available in DPRK so be sure to take plenty with you). Video cameras are not normally a problem either but again restrictions to their use do apply. There is nothing that prevents your trip to DPRK being accurately recorded on film. What is the food like …and what is the food situation in North Korea? The DPRK is a country that has suffered severe food shortages over the last decade but the famine situation has been largely relieved with the help of many western NGOs. However as a visitor in the DPRK you will be well fed with 3 meals a day including meat and fish. The food in DPRK is not gourmet but is not bad all tghings considered; some meals are very good and some are OK. Vegetarians can be catered for and Vegans also to an extent although it cannot be guaranteed that utensils used to touch food will not have touched meat, or that cooking oil does not contain animal fats. Fruit and chocolate is scarce in the DPRK so if you need this while you are on the tour then you should take it with you from Beijing. The food situation for the normal people of North Korea is still not good. The mass starvation of the mid-late 90s has been eased but the supply of food still falls short of the demand so the situation is still fraught and malnutrition is extremely serious. I have contacts with a group involved in helping with the problems so if you were interested in more information or making a donation I can assist you. Can we go anywhere we want? There are many restrictions on the movements of foreign visitors to DPRK. You basically have to be accompanied wherever you go (apart from if you just have a stroll around the hotel grounds) and much of the country is off limits even to diplomats. The standard locations we take in on our tours include; Pyongyang, Nampo, Mount Myohyang area, Kaesong and surrounding area, Panmunjom/DMZ, Wonsan and surrounding area, Kumgangsan and area, Mnt. Paekdu, Samjiyon, Sinchon, Mount Kuwol and area, among other places. I can also arrange for tours to visit other less common places such as Hamhung, Mount Chilbo, Sinuiju, and the Rajin-Sonbong free trade zone. Can we talk to local people? Contact with local people is possible but is difficult; the main reason is the language barrier (foreign languages are not widely spoken in DPRK though English is being taught in schools as the main second language). Other reasons are that the people are generally very wary of foreigners and also are very shy (and careful of drawing attention to themselves - remember everybody watches and reports on everybody). You can try to talk with a local but do not be surprised if they are not interested in talking to you, however it can be very rewarding when you do manage to make some human contact and your guides will make every effort to encourage it. What happens if I need medical attention? Pyongyang has a foreigners hospital which is of higher quality than the other hospitals in the country, if you need any medical treatment above the order of a few aspirin or a plaster/band-aid then you would be sent here (Note that Friendship Tours cannot be held responsible for any medical costs). In dire emergencies you should check that your insurance company has a provision to have you airlifted back to Beijing and a western standard of hospital. No specific vaccinations are required for visiting the DPRK but we ask you to check with your doctor for advice before you travel. Will there be a parade, Mass Games, etc? Military parades and Mass Games happen a lot less frequently than people think; less than once a year on major anniversaries. Western tourists are not allowed to attend the military parades but we do get invited to other celebratory events such as Mass Dancing on Kim Il Sung Square, Mass Games and occasional public festivities. We cannot guarantee what celebrations will take place until quite close to the dates and in some cases only on the day. We expect Mass Games in April (over Kim Il Sungs birthday) and August/September and October. Mass Dancing events on Kim Il Sung square and around the city can take place in February, April, May, July, and September. May Day (Workers day off) is often a great time to attend festive celebrations with the people, (team games such as tug of war competitions in the park)- and mid April is the Pyongyang festival for Peace and Friendship where entertainers from around the world (mainly the socialist countries) come and perform. There is also the Pyongyang Film Festival once every two years - held in September. The mass spectacular known as Arirang is scheduled to be held in August/September and this is the one occasion when citizens of the USA and South Korea are welcomed. Please see Itinerary 1. What are the hotels like? The hotels we use in Pyongyang are the deluxe class hotels; the Yanggakdo Hotel (usually) and the Koryo Hotel (occasionally) these hotels are western 3/4 star (Chinese 4 star) equivalent and are equipped with bars, restaurants, shops, swimming pool, bowling, casino, and other entertainment facilities (including Karaoke). The hotels in Pyongyang always have reliable electricity, heating, air conditioning, hot water, and now have foreign TV channels including BBC World and Japanese and Chinese TV. The hotels used outside Pyongyang are less well developed and have temperamental supplies of electricity and hot water, however there are some spectacular hotels such as the traditional Korean style Minsok (Folk) Hotel in Kaesong and the Hyangsan Hotel near Mount Myohyang. How many tourists go to North Korea every year? It is estimated that less than 2000 western tourists visit DPRK every year and although this number is rising it is still an exclusive club to be a member. There are around 20 - 30,000 Chinese visitors a year and large numbers of Japanese Korean groups (Koreans living in Japan). Since 2005 US tourists have been allowed into DPRK over the mass spectacular (August to October). Have there been any changes in recent years? In 2002 some economic reforms took place moving the Won (DPRK currency) to a more market oriented valuing system; as a result of this people are now expected to pay for many services and in return they are paid money for working. This has meant that things like small kiosks along the streets selling items such as bread and drinks have started up and North Korea's first official market has opened in Pyongyang with more planned. These changes may not seem like much to us but they are pretty radical when viewed in the context of the DPRK. It is difficult to know how far these reforms will be continued if at all. Will I be spied on? Despite claims in various newspapers it seems to us (although we don't know for sure) very unlikely indeed that the Koreans would bug the hotel rooms of western visitors. Paranoid fantasies aside, what can the average visitor possibly have to say that would be of interest to the Korean authorities? It is not considered wise to dwell upon political subjects or the economics of the country. If they want to hear a foreign viewpoint on something they can watch BBC World News in the hotel! Nevertheless it would be best to keep any criticisms until having left the country. Phone calls and postcards made and sent from DPRK should be treated as not secure. Will the guides try to brainwash me? The guides, like all North Koreans, have very strong beliefs which probably differ quite starkly from most tourists. However they will not try to brainwash you for perhaps the simple reason that their system of 'Juche' socialism is intended for those of Korean blood only. They are not into spreading world revolution through the mouths of their handful of western visitors. They express their beliefs and faiths very strongly and these are held universally throughout the DPRK so it is both impolite and futile to argue certain points with the Koreans. Don't try to 'liberate' their minds in return, it would only breed resentment and cause irritation. What are the guides like? All the guides I have met have been excellent though I have been fortunate in that I now have a small group of, I believe, the very best available (usually the same two on each trip - but not always). They are employees of KITC (Korea International Travel Company) and range in age from early 20's to late 40's. They are all fluent English speakers but there are also those who have specialised in other major languages - French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, etc and have a lot of experience in dealing with foreigners. They are good people, great fun and as normal as you can get … not the robotic 'minders' you may be expecting. What are the planes like? Are they safe? The Air Koryo fleet are 1960s Russian models, usually an Ilyushin but occasionally a Tupolev (for the charter flight to Paekdusan a small Antonov 12 is used). Although these are not the newest planes available they are well maintained and the western diplomatic staff in Pyongyang use them. The seats are not the most comfortable with not a lot of space but the longest flight you can take with Air Koryo is only one and a half hours. Food is served on the flights and free magazines and newspapers and handed out. Air Koryo have 3 flights a week to Beijing, 2 to Shenyang (in North East China). Can I write about my trip? North Korea does not issue visas to journalists except in special circumstances where they are invited by the authorities. Occasionally this restriction is relaxed and we are able to take journalists, if you are a journalist wanting to go then please contact me and we can try on your behalf or I can add your name to a list to be informed as and when you are permitted to go. Please do not compromise my work in North Korea. Friendship Tours requires each of its tourists to sign a form stating that they will not publish any articles about the tours without our express permission, we are required to insist upon this by DPRK law.

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