This is a film about a traveller in the strange land called North Korea or officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Tours to the DPRK are tightly scheduled and normally include a visit to the demilitarised zone, museums and statues to Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, Pyongyang’s amusements parks, chandelier-laden metro system and showcase entertainment facilities such as the Circus and the SchoolChildren's Palace. In addition to these, I took a flightseeing flight on a Mi-17 helicopter over the DPRK's capital city of Pyongyang. As well, as my tour was an extended one, it also went the northeast of the DPRK to the tri-country area around the Rason Special Economic Zone where the DPRK, China and Russia conjoin.
The cult of the Kims is perhaps the most extraordinary feature of the DPRK. Images or statues of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il are found everywhere. These graven images are effectively worshipped. This film shows scenes of the veneration of the Kims (Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il) that were witnessed.
The government guides control both what you can see and also what you can take photographs of. If you take a photograph of the military, construction or something that they feel does not portray the DPRK in a positive light then they force you to delete the photograph. On exiting the country, the border guards also reviewed photographs to see if they conformed to the aforementioned standards. Despite these restrictions, this film contains images that accurately portray the state of the country as I saw it.
--- Table of Contents ---
00:08 Overview of trip to North Korea (DPRK)
00:52 Beijing International Airport
01:40 Air Koryo to Pyongyang
02:31 US Navy visits the DPRK too
02:49 Pyongyang International Airport
03:13 Traffic policewoman directing traffic
04:09 Map of Pyongyang
04:19 pollution in Pyongyang
05:50 Chollima (mythical flying horse)
06:07 Arch of Triumph
07:04 Traffic policewoman in traffic
08:01 trolley bus ride
09:14 Pyongyang Metro System
11:56 Yanggakdo Hotel
13:19 6AM city wakeup call for Pyongyang
14:12 stockpiling gravel for construction
15:17 women encouraging hard work
16:07 Monument to Party Founding
16:39 Victorious War Museum (Korean War)
21:22 May Day in Moran Hill Park
21:53 Kaeson Youth Park
22:25 Mangyongdae Funfair
24:04 propaganda in Pyongyang
24:35 Mangyongdae Children's Palace
27:09 helicopter fightseeing over Pyongyang
30:07 Pyongyang Circus Theatre
32:43 Juche Tower
33:30 Kim Il Sung Square
34:20 Grand People's Study House
35:10 traffic policewoman
35:58 Jang Chon Model Cooperative Farm
37:29 luxury department store
37:58 peasants ploughing with oxen
39:22 Veneration of the giant Kim statues
43:18 Pyongyang at night
45:10 Mirae (Future) Scientists Street
45:48 Science and Technology Centre
47:14 View out over Pyongyang
48:05 Reunification Highway to Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
49:59 Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
52:39 Kaesong
59:00 Tomb of King Kongmin
1:01:10 Sokdamgugok (Sokdam Ravine)
1:01:40 Haeju
1:03:30 Suyangsan Falls
1:04:04 Sariwon
1:06:50 Mt. Jongbang
1:08:33 village visit
1:09:37 model pig farm
1:11:00 Mt. Kuwol
1:09:42 Sinchon Massacre Museum
1:11:39 Nampo
1:12:40 West Sea Barrage
1:15:32 Arch of Reunification
1:15:48 north to Myohyangsan (International Friendship Exhibition)
1:17:40 Myohyangsan
1:18:06 International Friendship Exhibition
1:19:42 Pohyon-sa Korean Buddhist temple
1:21:01 Flying to Rason Special Economic Zone
1:21:22 Ilyushin IL-18 (1968) to Orang
1:22:15 Yombun Revolutionary Site
1:23:12 mushroom farm
1:24:32 Chongjin Russian War Cemetary
1:24:41 Chongjin - veneration of giant Kim statues
1:26:09 Chongjin - school visits
1:27:43 Rason area
1:29:29 Pipha Island
1:29:50 shellfish diver
1:30:23 Rajin garment factory
1:30:56 Port of Rajin
1:31:48 Tri-country region (DPRK-China-Russia)
1:32:27 train to Russia via the Friendship Bridge
1:33:36 Conclusions
__________________________________________________________________
Note: Travelogues and more videos available on my YouTube channel (
Pyongyang - North Korea's capital
North Korea - Visiting as a Tourist.
Australian filmmaker Mark Shea ( takes a trip to North Korea (The People's Democratic Republic of Korea) with Young Pioneer Tours.
Listening to the news, watching hatchet job videos on youtube, anyone would believe North Korea was a dangerous place to visit. I myself as a travel video producer was a little concerned before entering, afraid my camera equipment would be confiscated at the border. Instead what I found was a country just starting to open to tourism. I was treated like royalty and allowed to pretty much film anything I wanted, other than groups of soldiers.
At the moment, to visit the DPRK one must go with a tour company. I myself went with Young Pioneer Tours who run small group tours for westerners at a budget price. The other options are going with a Chinese tour which are larger and, from what I saw, tend to rush groups through locations quicker. Young Pioneer Tours work in North Korea with two local guides. They have been running tours to North Korea since 2008, so they know how the DPRK works better than anyone. The tours are highly organised and, as tourism is a relatively new endeavour, tend to focus on viewing sites more than interacting with locals. For someone who makes travel videos focusing on meeting the locals, this was a new experience for me, but I still found there were plenty of chances to chat with our guides and various other guides throughout the tour.
The first thing that hits you when you travel by train into North Korea is how lush and green it is, every available space is used to grow food such as corn and rice. It looks like an agrarian wonderland, hills of rolling green dotted with small villages. On closer inspection, one notices the lack of machinery, the ox and cart, everything from cutting grass to ploughing fields, done by hand. The contrast with the enormity of China is startling.
Arriving in the capital Pyongyang, the next thing to hit you, is the lack of cars, no roadblocks, no bottlenecks, just wide open boulevards. The footpaths on the other hand are full of people, walking, riding bikes, always on the move. The public transport system includes electric buses and a two line subway system.
Our tour took in three main locations; sites around the capital -- Pyongyang, Kaesong -- the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
I'm not going to go into every detail of the tour, but there were many highlights. In each location we were given ample opportunity to take any photos we pleased (apart from photographing groups of military)
Highlights for me in Pyongyang included the amazing murals and statues. I particularly liked the quirky 'music room' full of boomboxes in the Grand People's Study House.
Kaesong, the ancient capital of Korea, is like a tourism boom town waiting to happen. It did not escape me that we were the only group walking the quaint cobbled streets surrounded by traditional houses. Visiting the museum and learning of the history of the Koryo period, I thought to recent history, political movements, and how only sixty years have made the two Korea's, North and South, so distinguishable.
The demilitarised zone really took me by surprise. I was expecting stern faced soldiers ready for attack. Instead I discovered bus loads of Chinese tourists, snapping photos with obliging soldiers.
I'd read a fair bit about North Korea before I traveled there, I'm well aware of it's problems. But I also believe tourism can have positive effects on a country. What we are seeing in North Korea is a change, a change I believe will be for the better.
There is a lot you won't be able to talk about with your North Korean Guides on current tours and there is a lot of the country you won't see. BUT if you want to see a country like nothing else on earth, at a fascinating stage in history, North Korea is well and truly open for tourism!
Be quick, the winds of change blow strong in the year of a Rising Dragon.
All music - Traditional North Korean
Best Things To Do in Pyongyang, North Korea
Pyongyang Travel Guide. MUST WATCH. Top 10 things you have to do in Pyongyang. We have sorted Tourist Attractions in Pyongyang for You. Discover Pyongyang as per the Traveler Resources given by our Travel Specialists. You will not miss any fun thing to do in Pyongyang.
This Video has covered top 10 Best Things to do in Pyongyang.
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List of Best Things to do in Pyongyang, North Korea
Pyongyang Metro
Tower of the Juche Idea
Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum
Mansudae Grand Monument
Geumsusan Memorial Palace
Kim Il-sung Square
Triumphal Arch
Arch of Reunification
Monument to the Korean Workers Party
Grand People's Study House
Pyongyang: Comedy & Circus-North Korea 北朝鮮のお笑い・サーカス(平壌の世界034)
北朝鮮でも「お笑い」の文化はある。お笑いはエンターテインメントの基本であり、それによりその社会の文化程度を伺いいることができるもでもある。さすがに、社会主義リアリズムを文化の中心にしている北朝鮮では、コメディアンの肩身はせまい。唯一あるのがサーカスでアクロバットの間の隙間が彼らの舞台となる。
◆Aramaki Projectの20年に渡る映像で証明される北朝鮮の理論が遂に書籍に!!
「巨人の箱庭」はこちらから!! 是非読んでみてください!!
チャンネル登録のお願い・subscribe please→URL
Even in North Korea there is a culture of comedy. Comedy is the basis of entertainment, so it is also possible to ask the degree of culture of that society. As expected, in North Korea, where socialistic realism is the center of culture, comedians feel themself ashamed. The only chance is the circus and the gap between the acrobats show will be their stage.
_________________________________________________________
・Tibet World----チベットの世界・「Aramaki Concept」
・Aramaki HP アラマキのホームページ
・Aramaki instagram アラマキのインスタグラム
_________________________________________________________
#北朝鮮#northkorea#북한#平壌#pyongyang#북한#金正恩#김정은
＊おすすめ動画・Recommended＊
From Aramaki Project
１）Pyongyang: City people-North Korea 北朝鮮で生活する人々
２）Pyongyang: Burger shop-North Korea 北朝鮮 夜のバーガー店
３）Pyongyang: Riverside walk-North Korea 北朝鮮 河岸の散歩
４）Pyongyang: Kaesong city-NorthKorea 北朝鮮 ケソン市
５）Pyongyang:38th parallel north-NothKorea 北朝鮮 北緯38度線
7)One of the best Dept Store in Pyongyang - North Korea
8）INSIDE NORTH KOREA - JUNE 2018 (Surreal experience)
Alone in an Empty North Korean Airport
Arriving to Pyongyang - First Impressions of North Korea
NORTH KOREA as a Tourist - Pyongyang Day One
平壌の地下鉄・街並み・観光名所を一気にレポート
Morning routine in Kaesong, North Korea
Pyongyang:New type Taxi-NorthKorea 北朝鮮 新世代タクシー(北朝鮮の世界062)
北朝鮮の交通事情は最近大きく変わった。平壌ではタクシーが一般化されるようになり、様々なタイプのタクシーが街中に出現している。その代表がＫＫＧタクシーだ。新世代タクシーは色が鮮やかなのが特徴となっている。
◆Aramaki Projectの20年に渡る映像で証明される北朝鮮の理論が遂に書籍に!!
「巨人の箱庭」はこちらから!! 是非読んでみてください!!
チャンネル登録のお願い・subscribe please→URL
The traffic situation in North Korea has changed greatly recently. In Pyongyang taxis are becoming generalized, and various types of taxis are appearing in town. The representative is KKG taxi. The new-generation taxi is characterized by vivid colors.
_________________________________________________________
・Tibet World----チベットの世界・「Aramaki Concept」
・Aramaki HP アラマキのホームページ
・Aramaki instagram アラマキのインスタグラム
_________________________________________________________
#北朝鮮#northkorea#북한#平壌#pyongyang#북한#金正恩#김정은
＊おすすめ動画・Recommended＊
From Aramaki Project
１）Pyongyang: City people-North Korea 北朝鮮で生活する人々
２）Pyongyang: Burger shop-North Korea 北朝鮮 夜のバーガー店
３）Pyongyang: Riverside walk-North Korea 北朝鮮 河岸の散歩
４）Pyongyang: Kaesong city-NorthKorea 北朝鮮 ケソン市
５）Pyongyang:38th parallel north-NothKorea 北朝鮮 北緯38度線
From Aramaki Concept
１）Tibet: Lama monk's great chorus チベット ラマ僧の大念
２）Tibet:Daily life of a lama monk#1 チベット ラマ僧の日常生活#1
３）Tibet: People's prayer チベット 人々の祈り
４）Tibet: Sand Mandala Experience チベット 砂マンダラの作成
Alone in an Empty North Korean Airport
Arriving to Pyongyang - First Impressions of North Korea
NORTH KOREA as a Tourist - Pyongyang Day One
平壌の地下鉄・街並み・観光名所を一気にレポート
First Tourist Visit to Sinuiju, North Korea (DPRK)
On May 20th Koryo Tour's General Manager Simon Cockerell was invited to be the first western tourist to visit the North Korean border city of Sinuiju, located just 900 metres across the Yalu river from its Chinese counterpart Dandong. Sinuiju is a strategically important city which sees a large amount of Chinese trade with the DPRK passing through its border points and has long been open for Chinese visitors to make day trips.
Koryo Tours has been working for many years to make it possible for non-Chinese tourists to visit the city I have been trying to get to Sinuiju for the last ten years and have passed it countless times on the train from Pyongyang to Beijing (we were once stranded for an afternoon in Sinuiju in 2004 when the international train could not take us into Pyongyang) but this trip was the first proper tour and a highlight in my travels in the country. Really great people and a good bit of interaction with the guides and locals
We were very honoured to be thanked for all our hard work which made this possible by the DPRK tourism authorities in Pyongyang last Friday and by the local travel company in Sinuiju just yesterday. We hope that the opening of Sinuiju to western tourists continues the run of new sites for tourists to visit in North Korea, and will continue to push for greater access and more areas that visitors can go to.
You can now travel to Sinuiju with Koryo Tours, for full details see here:
So if you're looking for an exciting weekend break, or a day trip to another world then come along with the only DPRK travel experts around. We've worked long and hard to open up new parts of North Korea to tourists and we invite anyone wanting a new experience to get in contact with us on info@koryogroup.com
For all tour enquiries or media enquiries please contact us:
Website |
Blog |
Facebook |
Instagram | koryotours (
Twitter | @koryotours (
Explorations: A week in North Korea in 9 minutes
I escaped the North Korea tour unscathed in the summer of 2010. Not very hard considering it was an amazing time. An inside peek of one of the world's most secretive countries!
For your info, I went with Young Pioneer Tours
This video was a compilation of the highlights on the post-tour DVD. Azure Production helped edited it shorter for your viewing pleasure.
Explorations:
Created for our travel blog to share back home to friends, family and others! This highlights some of our interests, what we do, and who we are.
Supported by Azure Productions
To follow Explorations and find out more about who we are visit:
Pyongyang: Entertainment of street-North Korea 北朝鮮の演芸「怒るなオヤジの巻」(平壌の世界018)
チャンネル登録のお願い・subscribe please→URL
平壌で見つけた！！最近見なかったあの伝説の昭和のどつき漫才師、あした順子・ひろし・・・まさかの笑劇！！
北朝鮮に住む庶民にも楽しみはあり、平壌でも街角に笑いがある。北朝鮮の庶民演芸は自然発生的に生まれてくる。誰かが歌い踊ればそこに人々が集まりそこはお笑いの舞台となる。
◆Aramaki Projectの20年に渡る映像で証明される北朝鮮の理論が遂に書籍に!!
「巨人の箱庭」はこちらから!! 是非読んでみてください!!
あした順子・ひろしの爆笑漫才
兄弟チャンネル: チベット密教の世界「Aramaki Concept」はこちらから。
People who live in North Korea also have fun and there is laughter in the street corner even in Pyongyang. People's popular entertainment of North Korea is spontaneously born. If someone sings and dances, people gather there and it will be a place for comedy.]
_________________________________________________________
・Tibet World----チベットの世界・「Aramaki Concept」
・Aramaki HP アラマキのホームページ
・Aramaki instagram アラマキのインスタグラム
_________________________________________________________
#北朝鮮#northkorea#북한#平壌#pyongyang#북한#金正恩#김정은
＊おすすめ動画・Recommended＊
From Aramaki Project
１）Pyongyang: City people-North Korea 北朝鮮で生活する人々
２）Pyongyang: Burger shop-North Korea 北朝鮮 夜のバーガー店
３）Pyongyang: Riverside walk-North Korea 北朝鮮 河岸の散歩
４）Pyongyang: Kaesong city-NorthKorea 北朝鮮 ケソン市
５）Pyongyang:38th parallel north-NothKorea 北朝鮮 北緯38度線
Alone in an Empty North Korean Airport
Arriving to Pyongyang - First Impressions of North Korea
NORTH KOREA as a Tourist - Pyongyang Day One
平壌の地下鉄・街並み・観光名所を一気にレポート