On Thursday, August 31, my Korean guides drove me to Pyongyang Train Station. I had just completed 6 days of filming YouTube and blog content for Young Pioneer Tours. After saying goodbye to my guides, I boarded the 10:30 AM train to Dandong, China via Sinuiju. The train rolled through the North Korean countryside, passing […]

Most travelers come to Dandong, China, because of its proximity to North Korea. It’s a popular city for travelers to either pass through on their way to the DPRK or to experience the Hermit Kingdom with their feet firmly on Chinese soil. The city’s food options are mainly restricted to Chinese and Korean cuisine such […]

Introduction As tourism has grown in the DPRK, so has the interest of foreigners wanting to do, and experience more in the country. It was with this in mind that we initially thought of the idea to run a farming volunteer program in North Korea. When we approached our partners in Pyongyang back in 2013, […]

A Mass Dance, not to be confused with the Arirang Mass Games, is an event held in socialist countries that marks a celebration for a particular national holiday or event. It was big back when the Soviet Union was around, but only a few countries conduct these performances these days. North Korea is one of […]

Travelling to North Korea is notoriously pricey. Going on an organized group tour and being one of the few tourists who enter the country every year of course adds up, especially when compared to backpacking in Thailand or somewhere else in SE Asia.   So, for this week’s challenge, I’m going to see if I […]

As a tour leader for YPT, I’ve been a frequent visitor to North Korea over the past three years. One of the main questions that tourists ask me is if I’ve seen any changes to the country in that time. The answer is yes, but North Koreans are very conservative, as is their society, and […]

 A 6.3 magnitude seismic event, a confirmed nuclear test, was detected approximately 10 km from North Korea’s nuclear test site today at exactly 12:00 Pyongyang time, the USGS warning indicated. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that a 5.6 magnitude earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km at 1236 KST in Kilju County in […]

What is the cheapest way to go to North Korea and indeed how much does it cost to go to North Korea? With North Korea having a semi-justified reputation for being an expensive place to visit, the question of “how can I travel to North Korea cheaply” is a common one. The short answer to […]

We have been working in North Korea for over a decade, making a point of contributing to various appeals, charities, or funds as often as possible. More recently, we’ve felt that we would like to do something far more personal and proactive to give back to the wonderful people of the country. In 2015 we […]

For those looking to get really off the beaten track of North Korea, there’s no better place to look than Sinuiju. Having only opened to Western tourists in the last few years, approximately 300 Western tourists visited Sinuiju in 2016, so visiting this city provides a truly unique experience not only for tourists, but for […]