Rason Special Economic Zone is located in the far Northeast of North Korea, bordering China and Russia. It’s modelled after the old special economic zones of China to promote trade, business, and foreign investment (read more about Rason here). Because Rason has different rules than the rest of North Korea, foreigners are treated more like […]

Why is Rason the most fascinating area in North Korea? Because it’s the only area in North Korea where they promote something people wouldn’t usually expect from a socialist government: capitalism. It’s a place where foreign tourists aren’t generally treated as tourists, but as visitors. In Rason, any visitor can have access to the local […]

North Korea isn’t your average tour destination. It’s certainly not the type of place you’d expect to get sloshed with locals while sampling locally-brewed (and, in our opinion, very tasty) craft beers. Yet, in 2016, Pyongyang announced they’d be holding the first ever Taedonggang Beer Festival, where locals and international travellers alike could mingle, drink, […]

One of the perks to working in North Korean tourism is easy access to the many publications of the DPRK, rarely read by foreigners or made available online.  We’d like to begin to regularly share our favourites with you; so for you to enjoy, here is an unedited excerpt, taken from the book “Anecdotes of Kim Jong Il, Part 1”.  […]

Linda Hjelle, 24, has travelled with Young Pioneer Tours to North Korea on two occasions.  Linda, originally from Norway, is currently studying for a masters degree in Chinese Society and Politics at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China. Here, she speaks about her experiences travelling to the DPRK with YPT. My first trip to North Korea […]

Hi! My name’s Matt… I’m originally from Melbourne and one of the guides working in the Beijing office. Like all YPT’ers, I have an inexplicable obsession with all things DPRK, having just finished my degree in International Studies with a focus on DPRK studies past and present. This is the first of my DPRK Chronicles […]

Just around the corner from Bangkok’s neon strips of sleaze, aglow with the famous golden arches and crispy chicken colonels quietly lies one of the more unusual aspects of North Korea’s foreign policy; it’s chain of restaurants. For those who know even the first thing about the Hermit Kingdom, a capitalist venture such as this […]

Whether you consider it a pariah state or simply misunderstood, North Korea is known for going its ‘own way,’ and the Hermit Kingdom’s fashion trends, such as the North Korean suit. If you are travelling to North Korea, you have no doubt noticed Chairman Kim Jong Il’s idiosyncratic, signature olive drab, zip-up jamba (‘jacket’) or […]

A perk to working in North Korean tourism is access to the fascinating literature of the DPRK. Rarely read by foreigners or made available online, we’d like to share some. Here is an unedited excerpt, taken from the book “Anecdotes of Kim Jong Ils Life, Part 1” (2012 Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, DPRK). In […]

Mealtime in North Korea, like many East Asian countries, is a communal gathering with a shared assortment of dishes. Those who have visited North Korea on a tour have had the experience, sitting around the lunch table, drinking a beer, and discussing the day’s events. But mealtimes in North Korea aren’t just great for the community aspect- […]