To say that the Pyongyang skyline has changed quite a lot over the last ten years would be quite the understatement. Previously there were much fewer cars, frequent blackouts, and not actually much in the way of a skyline. Nowadays the city is booming and has an actual skyline, and a large part of that […]

If you’ve spent any time following Young Pioneer Tours, you’re probably aware that we are nothing if not passionate ferroequinologists (pretentious-speak for ‘train enthusiasts’). To our mind, there’s nothing more fun that travelling on the North Korean railway, and we like to see ourselves as pioneers of the rails. If you’ve spent any time following […]

Without wanting to be accused of being worse than Mussolini, I personally like how we calculate age in the West. You get born, on your first birthday you’re one, and then your age goes up on every birthday. I’ll be 40 on July 29th 2020, and by Jove I’ll be 39 until 23:59 on July […]

Korean New Year is the annual Lunar New Celebration for Koreans on the peninsula and beyond. As a Lunar New Year Korean New Year occurs at the same time as the more well known Chinese New Year and Tet in Vietnam among others. Is it the same in North and South Korea? Whilst the holidays […]

Kimilsungia and Kimjongilia whilst not the national flowers of the DPRK, still hold immense importance. There are many things named after the first leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, but Kimilsungia is one of the few that you can actually take home with you. Kimilsungia The story goes that Kim Il Sung travelled to […]

Can North Koreans leave the country? Despite the common misconception that North Koreans can’t travel abroad, a lot of them in fact do, and the North Korean passport is a lot more valuable than you might expect. North Koreans (at least, those with permission to travel) have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 42 countries. This […]

Are there any Australians in North Korea? The history of Australia-DPRK relations might not exactly be a saga for the ages, but it is not without incident or, indeed, the odd amusing story. We have a particular interest in this, our very own DPRK tours manager Rowan Beard is Australian, and have had multiple Australian […]

Introduction to North Korean Money Much like the two currencies of Cuba, the North Korean currency is a complicated topic. Let us guide you through the full understanding on how spending North Korean money works. Cuba previously announced unifying of its currencies. This truly leaves North Korean currency as one of the most unique left […]

Introduction to Children’s Palace The Mangyongdae School Children’s Palace also known as the Mangyongdae Children’s Palace, is North Korea’s largest education facility for children where students from elementary school through to high school engage in extra-curricular activities. Kim Il Sung, the first leader of North Korea said “children are the kings of the country” and […]

When I tell people that I work in North Korea, more often than not they hit me with ‘facts’ about North Korea. One that comes up a lot is “did you know that weed is legal in North Korea?” Long story short: Pyongyang is unlikely to become the next Amsterdam anytime soon. Is weed legal […]