Young Pioneer Tours is incredibly pleased to announce that we have returned from our YPT-exclusive inaugural trip to the newest North Korean border open to Western tourists: Manpo, North Korea! Located in Chagang Province and sitting directly opposite the Chinese town of Ji’an, Manpo sits on the banks of the Yalu/Amnok River. In the very […]

Following the recent April 15th ‘Day of the Sun’ celebrations in North Korea, we’re going to take a look at some of the many other things named after DPRK founder Kim Il-sung. It’s estimated that there are over 480 things named after Kim Il-sung in over 100 countries, with some obviously being more impressive than […]

For anyone who’s travelled to North Korea – or has more than a passing interest in all things DPRK – it’s no secret that a great many things are named after the founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung Square and Kim Il-sung Stadium are just two examples in Pyongyang, for instance. But you […]

Understand Hyesan is a city in North Korea’s Ryanggang Province that borders China’s Changbai Autonomous County. It has a population of almost 200,000 people. Getting into Hyesan From the Chinese side, the city is accessible via the Changbai-Hyesan International Bridge, and as of 1992 it has been possible for Chinese tourists to take 1-, 5- […]

Can LGBT people travel to North Korea? Contrary to popular belief, homosexuality is not against the law in North Korea, and people from the LGBT community are more than welcome to travel here – in fact, openly gay tour guides have frequently led tours here without issue. That being said, North Korea is a sexually […]

Sakhalin Island Who are the Sakhalin Island Koreans? People visit North Korea for many reasons: there are those that go just the once to check it off the list; there are some who go multiple times to really soak in the culture and the wide variety of cities and natural sights that the country has […]

If you’ve spent any time in either South or North Korea, you will understand that Korean reunification is still not only the official endgame of both governments, but still an issue that very much pervades the public consciousness. There are many different theories for what a unified Korea might look like, with the Western view […]

What is the North Korea flag? What does the North Korean flag mean? And are there variations on the flag of North Korea? Here is the ultimate guide to the flags of the Democratic Peoples Repubic of Korea (DPRK). History of the North Korea Flag The Flag of The Peoples Republic of Korea (1946-1948) Firstly, […]

Continuing our ‘Made in the DPRK’ series, North Korean cars! – having previously featured such gems as the Arirang smartphone, the Samjiyon tablet and the Red Star OS – we continue our look at the homegrown products of North Korea with the automotive industry of the DPRK. The punchline of the Eastern Bloc Automobiles produced […]

Is the birthday of Kim Jong Un a national holiday in North Korea? Unless you’ve been living under a rock – or are just not that interested in the goings-on of North Korea – I’ll get you up to speed on a certain Kim Jong Un. Kim – or to give him his official title, […]