By booking a tour with Young Pioneer Tours to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, customer acknowledges that he or she has read, understands, and agrees to the following:
- The DPRK has its own laws and social customs, and these must be followed by visitors. Due to the differences in the laws and the social customs of the DPRK from many other countries, the customer should be sensitive to and respectful of such differences to avoid any potential repercussions. You should consult with Young Pioneer Tours or your guides with any questions. By traveling to the DPRK, you agree to comply with the following requirements:
- During your travels within the DPRK it is expected of you to not show any disrespect for the local political ideology and their leaders. This is the most important law to follow to avoid any possible issues. The DPRK essentially operates with Lèse-majesté laws that support their leaders and their state politics. Under no circumstances should you insult their leaders in public, damage/deface any images of their leaders or any political slogans and imagery. At certain places such as the Mansudae Grand Monument and Kumsusan Palace of the Sun (Mausoleum), there are rules regarding behaviour. Customer agrees to follow all instructions from local Korean and YPT guides regarding these expectations throughout the tour.
- Photography or video recording of any military personnel, military vehicles, military instalments, military check points or any sort of construction within the DPRK is strictly prohibited. The DMZ (Panmunjom) is an exception to this where you are able to take photos with the soldiers.
- Tourists must be accompanied by a guide at all times. Whilst staying in any given hotel, feel free to walk around, but stay clear of any areas marked as “staff only”. You cannot leave the hotel without a Korean guide. If you see a place outside which you’d like to visit you may ask your guide, but you must understand if the answer is “no”, it cannot be done.
Not abiding by such rules as above may result in the confiscation of photographs or videos, refusal of entry to tour sites, future denial of entry to the DPRK, deportation, termination of the tour, and/or involvement of law enforcement officials and possible detainment in serious cases. As long as you follow the simple rules explained above, you will experience no problems during your tour. It is not complicated to have a safe, rewarding and trouble-free trip to the DPRK, like the vast majority of tourists before you. Incidents are extremely rare and to date, all intentional – not accidental.
- Regardless of profession and whether it be through photography, videography, or sound, customer will not, in a journalistic fashion, publish, nor knowingly allow to be published, any material taken whilst in the DPRK without the prior consent of Young Pioneer Tours. In addition, and in relation to customer’s personal experiences in the DPRK, customer will not write any articles for the news media, or any forms of mass media which deliver news to the general public, knowingly allow the media to write any articles, publish any books, nor knowingly allow any books to be published, without the prior consent of Young Pioneer Tours. Posting on social media services such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, etc for travel updates or vlogs is acceptable.
In the event of infringement with regards to the above provisions,
- Young Pioneer Tours may be unable to offer any assistance i.e. Customer acknowledges that whilst present in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, visitors are subject to the laws of the country and any infringement on said laws may result in serious consequences for us, for the infringer, for the rest of the group and for our Korean tour guides. In the event that customer has misrepresented him or herself with regards to his or her journalistic intentions or breaking any of the local laws, Young Pioneer Tours may be unable to offer any assistance.
- Any deposit paid will not be refunded to customer i.e. In the event customer’s visa is denied, customer is denied entry, or customer is deported from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a result of customer’s infringement of above provision, Young Pioneer Tours reserves the right to withhold any and all of the deposit or balance paid by customer.
- Customer will be liable for any and all financial burdens suffered by Young Pioneer Tours i.e. Customer is liable for any and all financial burdens suffered by Young Pioneer Tours which stem from the direct and/or indirect consequences of customer’s material being knowingly published in the manner described above. This includes but is not limited to any and all fines and penalties levied on, and/or any and all costs or losses incurred by, Young Pioneer Tours.
Traveling in and out of the DPRK:
- Logistics in and out of the DPRK is extremely limited. Overbooking is common around holidays and preference for ticket issuance is decided by embassy and government officials. Young Pioneer Tours will exhaust every avenue to ensure your tour goes as planned but on rare occasions we may have to change the method or even date of entry and exit. It is best that you plan accordingly, especially during holiday seasons so any changes will not have much impact on the length of your tour.
The Customer has received, read and understands both our general Terms and Conditions for travel and our DPRK terms of travel agreement. The Customer agrees to cover any costs that arise from failure to read and follow the terms and conditions. Booking with YPT, you agree to the terms and conditions listed above and acknowledge you have understood our guidelines regarding behaviour in the DPRK.
