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MTP Member Photos - Korea, North
MTP Member Posts - Korea, North
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2017 Feb by Alex Curylo |
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Took the train in from Beijing and plane out to Shenyang in late February 2017, visiting the Koguryo and Kaesong WHS sites as well as the regular Pyongyang+DMZ showcase sights. Tongil Tours -- https://tongiltours.com -- did an EXCELLENT job of scheduling the visit to cover everything thoroughly, and picked wonderful guides as well. Unconditionally recommended. | |
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2014 Aug by Michael Novins |
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August 2014 -- I visited Pyongyang on a tour organized by Koryo Tours (http://www.koryogroup.com/), although the actual guides were from the Korea International Travel Company (KITC). The trip from Beijing was surprisingly simple to arrange, and Koryo Tours obtained the visa and plane tickets on Air Koryo. In Pyongyang, we visited the Mansudae Grand Monument (enormous bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il), the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum (which displays the USS Pueblo and captured U.S. military equipment and presents the North Korean perspective on the Korean War), Juche Tower, the Monument to Party Foundation (a large hammer, sickle and writing brush), the Pyongyang Circus (world-class acrobats and trapeze artists) and the Grand People's Study House overlooking Kim Il Sung Square. The best meals were dog-meat soup for lunch (which our group specially requested) and barbequed duck for dinner. | |
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2014 Apr by Ryan Trapp |
Ryan Trapp does not wish to be contacted by MTP members |
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April 2014: I spent a week in North Korea with overnight stays in Pyongyang (4 nights), Kaesong (1 night), Nampo (1 night), and Mt. Myohyang (1 night).
In Pyongyang, the sights I visited are far too many to mention, but the highlights were: the Mansudae Grand Monument, Kim II-sung Stadium (where I watched the Pyongyang Marathon -- which was the first ever in which foreigners could participate), Pyongyang Metro (the deepest in the world and where we rode the subway for 6 stops), watching the Mass Dance in celebration of Kim II-sung's 102nd birthday and the following fireworks show overlooking Juche Tower, Kumsusan Palace of the Sun (where I viewed the bodies of Kim II-sung and his son, Kim Jong-il), the Grand Peoples Study House, the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum and the adjacent USS Pueblo, and the Pyongyang Film Studios. In Kaesong and Nampo, the highlight was a visit to both of North Korea's UNESCO sites of Complex of Koguryo Tombs (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1091/), and the Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1278). In Sinchon, I visited the US Atrocities Museum (which gives a highly unbelievable account of the Korean War and the US soldiers attack on its people). In Mt. Myohyang, I hiked the mountain of the same name and visited the nearby International Friendship Exhibition, which displays gifts to the present and past country leaders (most interesting being a bullet-proof limousine from Stalin to Kim II-sung, and the most recent being a signed basketball jersey from Dennis Rodman to Kim Jong-Un), and in Panmunjom, I visited the DMZ (which is far more relaxed and less restrictive then the South Korea side, which I visited just previous to this trip). I booked my trip with Koryo Tours in Beijing (http://www.koryogroup.com/). | |
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2009 Jun by Aino Ilkkala |
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I visited North Korea in June 2009 with a group of 14 fellow travellers and a tour conductor. We travelled by train from Beijing and returned to Beijing by air. From the border (Dandong), only two of the train cars continued to Pyongyang and several cars coming from Moscow were attached to the train. On the North Korean side (Sinuiju) several Korean cars joined the train. Chinese sleeping compartments were comfortable and the food in the restaurant OK. When going to from the restaurant car we could see how the ordinary Chinese people travel through the night - crowded and mixed smell of smoke, waste food and toilet. Border formalities took about seven hours altogether, but we could leave the train and visit the stations on both sides. The Korean restaurant car was 'cute', decorated with flowers, and the beer - and the French sparkling wine really cheap. Travelling by train offered us a good chance to see the countryside.There were very few Western tourists in Pyongyang, at least partly due to the fact that it was not Arirang season. Maybe the latest happenings also had some effect. We only met a couple of Swiss guys travelling on the same train and very few others. In Koryo hotel where we stayed, only a few floors out of 45 were occupied. It was interesting to see Arirang rehearsals going on on many open squares - masses of young people doing the same thing. In addition to Pyongyang, we visited Myohyang, Kaesong and the Demilitarized Zone. | |
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2008 Sep by Helmut Uttenthaler |
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In september I travelled all the way from Vienna in Austria to Pyongyang in North Korea by train.Despite the long distance, going by train from Europe to North Korea is not that difficult.There are direct train services from many European cities (amongst them Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Basel, Vienna, Venice, Belgrade, Sofia, Prague, etc) to Moscow. Usually there are sleeping-cars of the Russian railways travelling this routes, the trip takes between 1 and 3 nights.From Moscow onwards there are two direct train services to Pyongyang via the famous Transsiberian railways. These are not complete trains, but only 1-2 direct sleeping-cars attached to different trains en-route. So it is possible to travel from e.g. Paris to Pyongyang with just one change of trains in Moscow.One of the two Moscow-Pyongyang services is provided by Russian Railways. Every friday two Russian sleeping-cars are attached to the Moscow-Beijing train. Departure is friday at 23:55. This train runs across Siberia (via Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Chita), then through Northern China (Harbin, Shenyang) to Beijing. At Shenyang the two Pyongyang-bound sleeping cars are uncoupled and attached to a Bejing-Pyongyang train. They cross the Chinese/North Korean border at Dandong/Sinuiju and from there it's only 250 km till Pyongyang. Arrival at Pyongyang is on the following friday at 19:30.The 2nd direct Moscow-Pyongyang service is a bit more interesting: Twice monthly the North Korean railways send a sleeping-car to Moscow.It's route doesn't go via China, but it crosses the 17 km long Russian/North Korean border at Khasan/Tumangan.From Moscow it is attached to the famous "Rossiya"-train (Moscow - Vladivostok, 9258 km in ~145 hrs, leaving Moscow on uneven dates at 21:25). It runs across Siberia to the Russian Far East. At Ussuriysk, already 100 km close to Vladivostok and the Sea of Japan the sleeping car to Pyongyang is uncoupled from the main train and attached to a local train following a branch line down to Khasan at the border to North Korea.Via the "Friendship bridge" over the Tumen-river it crosses the border to North Korea. The point in the middle of the Tumen-river were China, Russia and North Korea meet is only 300 meters from the "Friendship"-railway bridge.From Tumangan onwards to Pyongyang the sleeping-car is attached to a domestic North Korean train.The line from Tumangan to Pyongyang crosses whole North Korea and is 860 km long, for which the train needs 30 hrs.The total distance from Moscow to Pyongyang is 10270, which makes this train route the longest direct train service in the world. Departure from Moscow is on the 11th and 25th of each month at 21:25, scheduled arrival at Pyongyang is 9 days later at 21:25.According to KITC (the state North Korean tourist company) foreign tourists to the DPRK nowadays can't use the train route via Khasan/Tumangan (it was possible till the mid-90ies).Usual answers from KITC when asking for this route are "there is no such train" or just "it is not possible for tourists to use that train"... only entry via Pyongyang airport or by train from China (via Sinuiju) is offered to tourists...Of course the reason, why KITC doesn't want that tourists travel via Tumangan, is: The route on North Korean territory is much longer than from Sinuiju (860 km vs 250 km, 30 hrs vs 5 hrs) and so foreign tourists are relatively uncontrolled for more than 30 hrs inside North Korea.Once arrived at Pyongyang, the movement of tourist is controlled by the obligatory guides from KITC, without which it is not allowed to leave the hotel... but the guides are waiting only at Pyongyang at the train station or airport...However, as I found out that Tumangan is by default listed on any ordinary North Korean visa as one of three border points (Pyongyang, Sinuiju, Tumangan), I and a friend from Switzerland decided to try whether we could enter North Korea at Tumangan.We booked a individual North Korea tour with the usual sightseeing activities in and around Pyongyang, received our visas at the DPRK embassies in Vienna and Berne and then from the Russian railway we bought train tickets to Pyongyang via Tumangan...I met my friend, who was on a longer trip before, only in Irkutsk (Eastern Siberia), so I took ordinary trains till Irkutsk, and only there we boarded the North Korean sleeping car in the morning of the 15th september 2008.All our fellow passengers and the conductors were North Koreans, they were quite surprised to have Swiss and Austrian citizen as fellow passengers... and also for us it was an interesting experience to meet and talk to North Koreans.Some of the other passengers were North Korean workers returning home after some months or even years of work in Russia. They are sent to Russia to earn hard currency for Kim Jong Il's regime... and for Russia they are cheap labour forces... see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vFbWXVTBU0 (in english) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBTaVoiGc8g (Japanese) for a report about the conditions under which North Korean workers live in Russia...One passenger was a employee of the DPRK embassy in Moscow.Of course we were quite excited whether they would let us in at Tumangan, but finally it was no problem. North Korean border guards were quite surprised about us, but they were friendly.I don't know for sure, but I assume we were the 1st western tourists who entered North Korea at Tumangan since the mid-90ies...It was also a big surprise for us that once the border formalities were done, we were allowed to walk around at Tumangan station freely and also nobody prevented us from taking photos...See my travelogue at http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/There you'll find much photos and a detailed trip description (especially regarding the border crossing).... | |
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2007 Apr by Bill Altaffer |
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I first stepped inside DPKR in 1989 when that was all you could do. Today I have been 3 times, and rejected 5 times, the latest being Sep. 2007. I got all the was to Beijing and then got the NO. Nov. 11 , 2005 I made the front page col. ONE of the LA Times, followed up by 2006 being on the Rita Cosby show with MSNBC. I only have good things to say about a trip to NK. The capitol is very attractive. Clean and safe. It also has the most parks of any world capitol. The hotels can be 4star, resturants are fine. Museums are unbelieable. You must see it for yourself. The best thing the DPRK can do is to increase the number of day Americans can stay beyond 3. Its the most exotic country one can travel to. I am a member of the Republican party for life and I will go again and again. | |
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2006 Apr by Chris Thurston |
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I'll upload some shots later, I hope. I was there during Kim Il Sung's birthday celebrations and my tour company was Koryo travels, www.koryogroup.com if you're interested. They're really normal people and they're definitely knowledgeable and fun to be with. So check them out. The trip was for a week and I got to visit a couple of cities, mostly Pyongyang though. The Yang gak do was a quirky hotel if ever there was one. An Egyptian themed disco? Bowling alleys? Kaesung and Wonsan were also interesting. I was anticipating an over-awing sense of grandiose socialism and the intensity of the state. However it was surprisingly low-key, relaxed and, well, 1950s style of street life. Check out some of the documentaries I recommend "A State of Mind" if you're interested in observing the vibe that exists there. Feel free to contact me with any questions. | |
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2005 Oct by Donald M Parrish Jr |
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Along 4 other extreme travelers, I visited North Korea flying roundtrip from Beijing to Pyongyang. I have a full report at http://www.donparrish.com/NorthKorea.html | |
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2002 Jun by Veikko Huhtala* |
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We had Air Koryo flight from Beijing. We stayed ten days in North Korea and visited in Panmunjom on the demilitarized zone also. There are some rules for tourists. For example you can not go outside of hotel without local guide. We saw Arirang Festifal also. It is annual event and hold in the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang. Back to Beijing we travelled by train. If you like abnormal countries, North Korea is right place for you. | |
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2000 Feb by Felix A. Keller |
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My wife and myself were among the first Non-South Koreans that were allowed to visit the Kumgan San area, when Hyundai was organising trips by a cruise ship from Tonghae.
We all hat to stay overnight on boarde ship and disembarked every morning for the day trips. As it was wintertime, the road to the famous Kuryong waterfall was snow covered and the falls as such an impressive ice wall.
(P.S. : We were not shy to ask (against the advice of the Tour leader) and were the only two persons that got a stamp in the passport...) | |
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1997 Jun by Jorge Sanchez |
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North Korea is a bizarre country that will surprise you more than any other in the world, even more than Bhutan. You should go there as soon as possible, since the political situation might change in any moment. It is the same with Cuba, where you have to travel before Fidel Castro dies.
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MTP Visitors to Korea, North
Reports from Member Websites