Although I have been unable to visit North Korea for the last 4 years, ala Covid I have been going there long enough to know what was North Korea like 20 years ago?
So, what was North Korea like 20 years ago? Well in many respects it was pretty much same, same, but also quite different.
20 years going to North Korea
So actually, I have been going to North Korea for 18 years, with 4 of those inactive. This was of course part of my travel agency Young Pioneer Tours, as well as some pre-match reeky trips.
And I can even let you into a little secret, the initial name for the company was Joseon Tours, thank God I ditched that idea. Initial trips involved friends and partners, with me now having gone there will over 100 times. This probably makes me one of the most frequent visitors to DPR Korea!
What was North Korea like 20 years ago?
I will start with the glaring most obvious differences. Firstly, Kim Jong Il was the leader of the country which believe it or not made it a bit stricter. Back then cell phones were not allowed at all, visiting local bars and restaurants was much harder and there was only one big bronze statue.
Pyongyang was also a much more spartan place with less lights and far less bars and restaurants. Back then the thought of a private restaurant, such as that of Kenji Fujimoto would have been unheard of.
And then there was the Ryugyong Hotel which looked very very different back in the day.
What was the food like in North Korea 20 years ago?
In many ways similar to what it is like today, but again with much fewer restaurants. This meant that the ones we did go to were pretty much the same as everyone went to and consisted of hot pot, the famous duck bbq and many KITC restaurants.
There was also a noticeable smaller private sector which meant not much North Korea street food, although this was less the case in Rason were I probably first visited 15 years ago.
This largely meant that while the food was generally pretty good, it could also often times be rather hit and miss. You could though never go wrong with a Yanggakdo Hotel breakfast!
Other restaurants such as those in Kaesong we would still use today.
Modern food and drink in North Korea
While you cannot fully say private enterprise in a state run economy there are now a number of joint venture restaurants, or as my Korean friend says “joint-adventure”. This means that you can get all manner of foreign foods, such as pizza and even burgers. And no, Kim Jong-Il did not claim to invent the burger.
Nightlife wise there are also a heck of a lot more bars, although for me at least you still cannot beat the Diplomats Club a place I went on my first and indeed many other trips to North Korea.
Time will only tell just how much has changed if and when we get to visit North Korea in 2024.
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