North Korea

Archaeological finds of prehistoric toolmaking on the Korean Peninsula date back to 70,000 BC with the first pottery found around 8000 BC. Comb-pattern pottery culture peaked around 3500-2000 BC.

Legend has it that Korea began with the founding of Gojoseon (also called Ancient Chosun) by the legendary Dangun in 2333 BC. Archeological and contemporaneous written records of Gojoseon as a kingdom date back to around 7th-4th century BC. Gojoseon was eventually defeated by the Chinese Han Dynasty in 108 BC and its territories were governed by four Chinese commanderies, but this did not last long. Natives of the peninsula and Manchuria soon reclaimed the territory, namely the Three Kingdoms of Korea, Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje. The Goguryeo Kingdom (or Koguryo) ruled the entire area of modern North Korea, as well as parts of Manchuria and the northern parts of modern South Korea. Buddhist and Confucian teachings were prominent in the Goguryeo Kingdom, which adopted Buddhism as the state religion in 372. Despite repeated attempts by China, namely the Sui Dynasty and later the Tang Dynasty, to conquer the Korean Peninsula, northern-based Goguryeo managed to repel them. Eventually, Goguryeo fell to a Silla-Tang alliance, which had earlier defeated Baekje. This unified Korea under the Silla dynasty. Even though Tang later invaded, Silla forces managed to drive them out, thus maintaining Korea's independence.

Unified Silla was replaced by the Goryeo (also called Koryo) dynasty, from which the modern name "Korea" derives. One highlight of the Goryeo dynasty was that in 1234 the world's first metal movable type was invented by a Korean named Choe Yun-ui (200 years before Gutenberg's printing press).

Buddhist learning spread during this time and the former Baekje and Goguryeo leaders were treated well. The kingdom saw relative peace until the 8th and 9th centuries when clan leaders led uprisings and toppled the Silla, establishing the Goryeo Dynasty from which the name "Korea" was derived by Westerners. During this period, the nation suffered Mongol invasions, which led to unrest and the eventual establishment of the Joseon Dynasty in 1392.

The Joseon Dynasty was one of the longest-running dynasties in the world (512 years), ruling from 1392 until 1910. King Sejong the Great's rule was especially celebrated, as he helped create the Korean script, choson'gul, which allowed even the commoners to become literate. He also expanded the nation's military power to drive out Japanese pirates and northern nomads and regain territories that had been lost. The Japanese invaded Korea under the leadership of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, though the Joseon Dynasty managed to drive them out with the support of China's Ming Dynasty, albeit with heavy losses in the Korean peninsula. In spite of its losses, the nation experienced about 200 years of peace, and its isolationist policies allowed it to further develop a uniquely Korean culture and identity.

Rapid modernisation stirred by the Second Industrial Revolution created tension between China and Japan as they felt the pressures of Western expansionism, each wanting to extend their influence over Korea. Ensuing wars between Japan, China and Russia led to increasing Japanese influence over the peninsula, resulting in Korea's status as a vassal state of Imperial China ending in 1895, and Japan annexing Korea outright in 1910, marking the end of the Joseon dynasty and Korean independence.

Japan ruled Korea as a colony until its defeat in World War II in 1945. During that period, the Japanese committed numerous atrocities including massacres, and forced many Korean women to become "comfort women", sex slaves in Japanese military brothels. Moreover, Japan instituted a cultural assimilation policy, forcing the Koreans to adopt Japanese names, and forbidding them from speaking the Korean language.

Japan was forced to give up control of all its colonies after is defeat in World War II in 1945, and the Allied Powers divided Korea along the 38th Parallel, with the Soviet Union occupying the northern half and the United States occupying the southern half. The divide was supposed to be temporary; however, the political power struggle between the two nations to gain influence over the unified Korea led each to establish governments within their newly created territories. North Korea was established as its own nation in 1948 with the support of the Soviet Union, following the Soviet communist model, with Kim Il-Sung as its leader, while at about the same time, Syngman Rhee established a capitalist regime with the support of the United States in the south.

Agitation between the North and South came to a head in 1950 when the North started the Korean War by attempting to reunify the country under its terms by launching an invasion. The Soviet Union and China fought alongside the North against the South, who were in turn backed by the United Nations (UN) forces led by the United States. The UN forces drove the North Korean forces all the way up to the Chinese border, whereupon Chinese reinforcements forced the UN forces to be driven back south. The war finally resulted in the signing of an armistice in 1953, largely maintaining the original borders set prior to the war. Because no peace treaty has been signed since the armistice, the nations of South Korea and North Korea are officially still at war.

With the nation in shambles after the war, Kim Il-Sung launched a campaign to unite the people by defaming the United States with Soviet support and purging the nation of dissidents and rival factions within the party. He sided with China during the Sino-Soviet split on Communist philosophy because he disliked Khrushchev's reforms. He began to praise the Soviet Union once again when China underwent its Cultural Revolution, straining relations with both neighbors. Consequently, he developed his own ideology, Juche ("self-reliance"), to create the sort of Communism he wanted for his nation. Throughout his life, Kim Il-Sung added to and clarified the Juche ideology in order to justify his governing decisions.

The Korean War not only divided the people, but it also divided the labor force. When the peninsula was united, North Korea had most of the nation's industries while South Korea was the agricultural center. This divide allowed North Korea to initially bounce back faster than the South in the rebuilding process. The Soviet Union then funded agricultural efforts in the North, in accordance with the Communist model. This system began to unravel in the late 1970s and 1980s as the Soviet system began to falter. With the end of Soviet aid following its dissolution in 1991, there was no way to continue to support the agricultural systems' needs for fuel, fertilizer and equipment. After so many years of government mismanagement, and the bad timing of severe flooding, the North's agricultural system collapsed in the mid-1990s, leading to widespread famine and death for countless North Koreans. The death of Kim Il-Sung in 1994 took place while the nation tried to deal with the crisis, slowing government response as the new leader, Kim Jong-Il, took his father's position.

The North finally allowed international relief agencies to assist, and the worst aspects of the famine were contained. However, the DPRK continues to rely heavily on international food aid to feed its population while at the same time continuing to expend resources on its songun, or "military first", policy, which Kim Jong-Il introduced and used in conjunction with his father's Juche ideology (which he "interpreted").

Today the DPRK maintains an army of about 1 million infantrymen, most stationed close to the DMZ which divides the two Koreas. North Korea's long-range missile development and research into nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, Kim Jong-Il reneged on a 1994 "Agreed Framework" signed by his father which required the shut down of its nuclear reactors, expelling UN monitors and further raising fears that the nation would produce nuclear weapons. Missile testing was conducted in 1998, 2006 and April 2009. In October 2006 North Korea announced that it had conducted its first nuclear test. These actions have led to UN and other international sanctions.

Current negotiations, most notably the "Six-Party Talks" involving China, Russia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and the United States, are aimed at bringing about an end to the DPRK nuclear weapons program, in hopes that a peace treaty to officially end the Korean War may finally be agreed upon, paving the way for the opening of diplomatic ties between North Korea and the United States. Unfortunately, in March 2010, a South Korean ship was sunk near the 38th parallel, increasing tensions between North and South Korea. Although North Korea claims not to have attacked the ship, the blame has largely been placed on North Korea.

The death of Kim Jong-Il in late 2011 created a measure of uncertainty during the transfer of power to his son Kim Jong-Un; though the country has appeared to have stabilized since, considerable tensions have occurred intermittently.

North Korea is a personalist, totalitarian dictatorship. The government is led by the State Affairs Commission (SAC), which sets national policy and is directly responsible for the military. The supreme leader (Kim Jong-un) is chairman of the SAC, as well as head of the Workers' Party of Korea and several other positions. Atop the administrative branch of the government is the cabinet, which is headed by the premier (like a prime minister).

The cabinet is appointed by the unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) which heads the legislative branch, although bills are drafted by the Party and the almost 700-person SPA almost always passes them without debate or modification. Moreover, it's in recess all but a few days a year, leaving most authority in the hands of the 15-person Presidium. The judiciary is headed by the Supreme Court, whose three justices are elected, partisan, and accountable to the SPA. The judiciary is not independent and does not have the power to overrule the legislative or executive branches of government, and interference from security forces is a widespread problem.

Despite North Korea's isolation from the rest of the world and its label as the "Hermit Kingdom", it maintains diplomatic relations with 160-170 countries around the globe and is a member of several international organisations, including the World Health Organization. North Korea has cordial relations with its neighbours Russia (the first country to recognise North Korea) and China and several African and Asian nations, and has incredibly tense relations with the United States, Japan, and the European Union.

North Korea may be the most ethnically homogeneous nation on earth, with everyone being Korean save for a few hundred foreigners. These foreigners are mostly diplomatic or aid agency workers, along with a small population of Japanese who have Korean ancestry. Almost no South Koreans live in North Korea.

North Korean society is strongly divided and organised along a caste system known as Songbun. Membership of one of three main groups is determined not only by an individual's political, social and economic background, but also that of their family for the previous three generations. Education and professional opportunities are effectively defined by an individual's class.

The climate is generally classed as continental, with rainfall concentrated in summer. Summer months are warm, but winter temperatures can fall as low as -30°C. Late spring droughts are often followed by severe flooding. There are occasional typhoons during the early autumn.

Mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains are wide in the west and discontinuous in the east. The mountainous interior is both isolated and sparsely populated.

The Accusation, by Bandi. A collection of short stories, published abroad by a pseudonymous North Korean writer, that are highly critical of the Kim regime and full of piercing insight into its contradictions and cruelties. Uniquely among North Korean dissident literature, they were published with their author still living in the country.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, Barbara Demick. An excellent book recounting the lives of six North Koreans who managed to defect and find their way to South Korea. Provides a compelling picture of the miseries and occasional beauty in the lives of ordinary North Koreans during the famine of the 1990s. ISBN 0385523912

Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman, by Soon Ok Lee. First-hand accounts of the prison system within North Korea.

Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West, by Blaine Harden. The riveting story of Shin Dong-hyuk, one of the only known surviving escapees of a North Korean prison camp, and his perilous journey out of the country.

Without You There Is No Us, by Suki Kim. A fascinating piece of investigative journalism about teaching English as a foreigner in Pyongyang.

The Korean Friendship Association provides North Korean-related material, including tourism tips.

Everyone needs a visa to visit North Korea. Tourists typically arrange a tourist visa by booking a tour with a travel agency that organises such tours. The travel agencies will usually deal with the visa on their behalf, although in some cases tourists are required to have a short telephone interview with the North Korean embassy to verify their identity and their job. In most cases, the interview is conducted in a friendly manner so it is nothing to be worried about. Visas are often only confirmed on the day before the tour, but rarely will a tourist ever be rejected unless you are suspected to be of political status or a journalist.

North Korean tourist visas are often issued on a tourist card. If joining a tour group, group visas are often issued on separate sheets of paper containing all the members of the group, attached with a tourist card that bears the name of the tour leader. This visa itself is never held by the tourists, although tourists can ask to take a photo of their visa. In any case, no stamp will be placed in the passport. The only way where a visa and entrance stamp will be stamped on the passport is when the visa is issued within a North Korean embassy in Europe.

Journalists or those suspected of being journalists require special permission, which is quite difficult to obtain. North Korea does not allow journalists to visit on a tourist visa.

Citizens of South Korea are not permitted to enter North Korea unless they have permission from the governments of both the North, for entry, and the South from the Ministry of Unification (통일부). Without the permission, South Korean citizens will face a lengthy prison sentence on their return – also dual citizens using their foreign passport risk this. South Koreans must also get an approval if they intend to "communicate" with North Koreans, even if they do not directly visit North Korea (ex post facto approvals are allowed if the encounter was by a coincidence).

Contrary to rumour, Israelis and Jewish citizens of other countries do not face any additional restrictions.

North Korea can only be visited by an organised tour, but this can be a large group or a party of one. Prices start from around $1,000/€700/£580 for a 5-day group tour including accommodation, meals and transport from Beijing, but can go up considerably if you want to travel around the country or "independently" (as your own one-person escorted group). Tour operators/travel agencies that organise their own tours to North Korea include:

America

Uri Tours Inc. (NYC, US) — standard and customized tours to the DPRK; also an Air Koryo ticketing agent in the US

Asia

East Asia

Koryo Tours and Koryo Group (Beijing, Shanghai, Belgium, UK) — also organises school visits and sports exchanges and has co-produced 3 documentary films about North Korea. Exclusive agent for the Pyongyang Marathon. English tours only.

North Korea Travel (Sheyang, China)

Young Pioneer Tours (Beijing, China) — very low budget tours.

South East Asia

Choson Exchange (Singapore, UK & US) — not a tour agency, rather they provide training in business and entrepreneurship in North Korea to businesswomen, young entrepreneurs and researchers, and bring volunteers and tourists to help them to do so

Korea Konsult (Stockholm, Sweden)

Korea Reisedienst (Hannover, Germany)

Lupine Travel (Wigan, UK)

Regent Holidays (Bristol, UK)

Pyongyang Travel (Berlin, Germany) — group tours, private tours and New Year's Tours

Viajes Pujol (Barcelona, Spain)

No matter which company you decide to book with, the tours are run by the Korean International Travel Company — with the exception of a few, such as Choson Exchange and The Pyongyang Project, who both work directly with various government ministries and domestic DPRK NGOs — and it will be their guides who show you around. The average number of tourists per group each company takes will vary considerably; you may want to ask about this before booking a trip.

Most people travelling to North Korea will travel through Beijing and you will probably pick up your visa from there, although some agents arrange their visas elsewhere beforehand. Bring your travel permission, US$45 and two passport photos.

North Korean consulate, Fangcaodi Xijie (Beijing; round the corner from the main embassy building at Ritan Lu). M W F 09:30–11:30 and 14:00–17:30, Tu Th Sa 09:30–11:30.

Your guides will take your passport and keep it during your stay in North Korea, or at least for the first couple of days of your tour, for "security reasons", or simply because your entry and exit dates must be registered, as noted by the black stamps on the back of your visa or passport. Make sure your passport looks decent and doesn't differ from the most common passports from your country.

Volunteer

Groups such as Choson Exchange bring volunteers (or tourists) to participate in teaching workshops on business and entrepreneurship to businesswomen, young entrepreneurs and researchers, after which volunteers tour relevant sites in North Korea. Such volunteers travel on an official visa, rather than a tourist visa.

Choson Exchange (Singapore, UK, US) — social enterprise providing training in business and entrepreneurship in North Korea to businesswomen, young entrepreneurs and researchers, and bring volunteer/tourists to help them to do so

The Panmunjom Joint Security Area is the only place in North Korea that can be visited from the South by regular tourists. This is the jointly-controlled truce village in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas. In the JSA, you can briefly cross over into North Korea within the confines of one of the conference rooms straddling the border, but the northern door will be guarded by two soldiers, and you will not be able to proceed any further.

Group bus tours to Kaesong and Kumgangsan in North Korea from the South have been suspended indefinitely and is unlikely to resume after a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean guard in 2008.

All international flights go through Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport (FNJ IATA). No other North Korean airport handles international flights. As of Jan 2026, the only airline operating flights to Sunan are Air Koryo, and Nordwind Airlines from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. Air China flights from Beijing remain suspended.

As of Jan 2026, North Korea's sole airline, Air Koryo, has scheduled flights to Beijing, and Vladivostok. The airline has also been banned in the EU due to concerns over safety.

Air Koryo was the only 1-star (worst) airline on Skytrax's list, a distinction it held for many years. Although Air Koryo last experienced a fatal accident back in 1983, the airline only operates a handful of flights with its fleet of 10 aircraft. The main reason for flying Air Koryo is the experience. The Air Koryo fleet consists entirely of Soviet or Russian-made aircraft, with the pride of their fleet being two Tupolev Tu-204s, which now usually handle the core Beijing–Pyongyang route. Otherwise, you'll most likely end up on one of their Ilyushin IL-62-Ms (1979–1988 vintage), Tupolev Tu-154s or Tupolev Tu-134s.

As of Oct 2025, Nordwind Airlines had flights on an Airbus A330 once a month connecting Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) with Pyongyang Sunan International Airport (FNJ),

Flights by Air China from Beijing Capital International Airport to Pyongang Sunan International Airport is suspended after brief operation. When available, Air China is preferred by most to Air Koryo due to its far more modern fleet of Boeing 737s.

Train K27/K28 connects Pyongyang to Beijing in China via Tianjin, Tangshan, Beidaihe, Shanhaiguan, Jinzhou, Shenyang, Benxi, Fenghuangcheng, Dandong and Sinuiju four times a week. There is only one class on the international train between Beijing and Pyongyang: soft sleeper. It can be booked at the station in Beijing, but reservations must be made several days in advance. Your tour agency will usually do this for you, unless you are travelling on work purposes. It has been increasingly difficult to book space on the Beijing–Pyongyang route, so confirm your tickets well in advance.

Once a week train K27/K28 also conveys direct sleeping cars from Moscow via China to Pyongyang and vice versa. The route is Moscow–Novosibirsk–Irkutsk–Chita–Harbin–Shenyang–Dandong–Shinuiju–Pyongyang. Departure from Moscow is every Friday evening, arrival at Pyongyang is one week later on Friday evening. Departure from Pyongyang is Saturday morning, arrival in Moscow is Friday afternoon.

Some agents (e.g. Lupine Travel) prefer to cross the border from Dandong in China to Sinuiju by minibus and then board a domestic North Korean train to Pyongyang. Usually you will be seated in a hard seat carriage with KPA soldiers and party workers travelling with their families. There is access to a restaurant car which stocks imported beers (Heineken) and soft drinks as well as some local beers and spirits. This train supposedly takes only 4 hours to Pyongyang but has been known to take 14. If travelling in winter be prepared for temperatures inside the carriages as low as 10 °C (50 °F).

There is also a direct rail link from Russia into North Korea. This route is the Rossiya Trans-Siberian train between Moscow and Vladivostok, with the Korea coaches detached at Ussuriysk. From there it's six hours to the border at Tumangan, with a five hour wait, then a 24-hour haul to Pyongyang. It runs weekly, but as a through-train only twice monthly (11th and 25th from Moscow), arriving in Pyongyang 9 days later. This route used to be closed to Westerners, but as of 2018 it's available, provided you have arranged for it as part of your North Korean tour.

There was an unscheduled cargo-passenger ship between Wonsan and Niigata, Japan. It is indefinitely suspended as Japan bans all North Korean ships from entering Japanese ports. Be careful about getting too close to the North Korean border in a boat; many South Korean fishermen who entered North Korean waters are detained and are still waiting to leave North Korea.

Besides the unscheduled ferry, there is also a cruise ship that operates between the coast of Northeastern China and Mt Kumgang. Jointly operated by China and North Korea, the cruise line uses a ship from around 1970. The cruise trip is 22 hours long at each leg, and is 44 hours in total but non-Chinese citizens are not permitted on the cruise.

A bus is available from Dandong, China, across the Yalu River to Sinuiju. It's run by the "Dandong China Travel Company" but is only open to Chinese citizens. The bus drives from Dandong over the Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge (the same bridge over the Yalu river that the trains take).

So, with all this practical information being said, what are the places to go? A good part of the important attractions you'll be shown are in Pyongyang. There's the large Kim Il-sung Square, where the famously grand military parades take place. Even without the parades, though, it's an impressive square, and on it is the Grand People’s Study House. This gigantic library and learning centre is home to over 30 million books and a modern system of conveyor belts to get you the one you need. Also on the square are two museums, of which — the Korean National Art Gallery — is the more interesting one. The other great landmark of the capital is its Triumphal Arch. Slightly bigger than its Parisian counterpart, it is the largest arch of its kind in the world. Another landmark you'll be proudly shown are the large bronze statues of the Great Leader and Kim Jong-il. Respectfully join the locals in their serious undertakings to honour the statues, which are a key element of the devotion cult around the national leaders. For a better chance of some casual conversations with locals, try the pleasant Pyongyang zoo. Take a daytrip to the birthplace of the Great Leader in Mangyongdae and of course, visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun where both the previous Kims' embalmed bodies are on display.

No trip to North Korea is complete without an extensive glance at the uneasy and heavily fortified border stand-off at Panmunjeom, or the Joint Security Area. Not far from here is the town of Kaesong, with a lovely old town and the UNESCO-listed tomb of King Kongmin. For stunning natural sights, try reaching Kumgangsan, or the Diamond Mountains, where you'll find beautiful vistas, waterfalls, lakes and ancient Buddhist temples.

The currency is the North Korean won, denoted by the symbol ₩ (ISO code: KPW) and not typically available to foreigners, except some old North Korean won sold as souvenirs. The only places where tourists are allowed to obtain and spend North Korean won are at the Kwangbok Supermarket, which is included in some tours of Pyongyang, and in the Rason Special Economic Zone. Black market exchange rates (especially in far northern Korea, near the Chinese border) may easily be 20 times the official rate, but importing or exporting won is strictly forbidden. North Korean won is practically worthless outside the country but can make unique souvenirs.

Foreign visitors are expected to use US dollars and Chinese renminbi or as alternatives euros and Japanese yen. Currency handling is often bizarre, with a frequent lack of change and a number of rule-of-thumb conversions leading to highly unorthodox transactions, so be sure to bring lots of small change. On a typical tour most expenses such as hotel, transportation, and meals will have been paid in advance, and therefore your only expenses may be bottled water, souvenirs, snacks, drinks at the bars, laundry at the hotel and tips for your guides.

In any case, the only shops you will be likely allowed to visit are the state-run souvenir shops at your hotel and at the various tourist attractions. It is generally not possible to visit a real local shop which serves the local population, though you might get lucky asking your guide if he/she trusts you enough. Some tours include a visit to a department store.

There are numerous hard-currency-only souvenir shops at tourist sites. Interesting souvenirs include propaganda books and videos, postcards and postage stamps. At some tourist sites, such as King Kongmin's tomb, you can purchase freshly finished paintings with your name and the artist's name at the bottom.

You can buy postcards and send them to people in any country except South Korea. Stamps make wonderful souvenirs.

Literature is revered in North Korean society, in due large part due to the government regularly promoting views that present them in a good light, i.e. propaganda. Writers in North Korea are held in high prestige. North Korean books may be full of views and perspectives promoting the government, but they will allow you to be further exposed to the world's most secretive, isolated country and better understand the thoughts and views of the government, the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un. A book from North Korea makes a good souvenir.

Some excellent paintings on silk or linen have been available in Kaesong directly from the artist. Haggling for better prices is not permitted, but the prices are very low.

If you are looking to buy the traditional Korean dress, known as hanbok in South Korea and the West, keep in mind that North Koreans call it the chosŏn-ot (조선옷).

Note: South Korean law criminalizes the possession and importation of North Korean propaganda, so do not bring North Korean souvenirs into South Korea.

Most costs are included as part of your tour. Most sights have a shop associated with them where you can buy bottled water, souvenirs and snacks. These are reasonably priced. In September 2017, large bottles of local beer cost US$2 at the hotel bars in Pyongyang. €200 for one week should be enough to cover your costs of water, drinks at the bars, souvenirs and tips for the guides.

When taking photographs, exercise restraint, caution and common sense. If you appear to be looking for negative images of North Korea, the guides will not be happy and will tell you to delete any questionable images. In particular, you should not take photos of anything depicting the military, including personnel, or anything showing the DPRK in a bad light.

Your photographic freedom can largely depend on the type of guides you are assigned and your rapport with them. In a best-case scenario, you can often take pictures without feeling as if you're trying to sneak them by anyone and without pressure capturing some truly unique images. Your guide might even want to try out your camera and take a picture of you for your collection. If you are in an area where photography is forbidden, you will be informed of this, and you should follow your guide's instructions. When in doubt, always ask.

In a worst-case scenario, you can be expected to raise your camera at a reasonable speed, compose and take the picture, and lower the camera at a reasonable speed. Don't try to take pictures of anything that you have been told not to, such as military personnel or certain locales. This may call attention to yourself and the image you are trying to take and can result, whether justified or not, in your being told to delete the image.

Digital cameras are commonly inspected when leaving the country by train. A simple workaround is to leave a memory card with innocuous snaps in the camera and file away any cards with ideologically dubious content, but getting caught with those sensible images hidden away may cause things worse than them getting deleted.

If you are Korean or have ties to Korea – such as having a Korean parent, being married to a Korean, or being of Korean descent – you should carefully consider your decision to visit North Korea. You could easily arouse suspicion from the authorities.

Visitors have also been targeted for political reasons; in 2013, an 85-year-old American citizen was arrested, briefly incarcerated and expelled by the DPRK because of his military service during the Korean War.

Drug trafficking and the consumption of narcotics can be punishable by death in North Korea. Although marijuana is said to be found growing freely alongside the road in North Korea, its possession and consumption is illegal except when prescribed as a medicine, although it is unclear how rigorously that prohibition is enforced. However, with this being North Korea, you probably don't want to find out the hard way.

The DPRK is officially an atheist state and much of the population is irreligious. Although the Constitution guarantees freedom of religious belief, such practices cannot harm the order of the state, and proselytizing of religion is strictly forbidden. Therefore it is strongly recommended that you avoid bringing any religious texts into the DPRK as this can be considered a violation by authorities. There have been documented cases of foreigners sentenced to hard labor for missionary activities, and running into trouble for having Bibles in public view.

Although Christians have historically faced persecution in the DPRK, there are five operating churches in Pyongyang including the Changchun Cathedral (seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pyongyang) and the Russian Orthodox Church of the Life-Giving Trinity. Inquire with your guide about the possibility of visiting one of them.

Perhaps surprisingly, there are no laws against homosexuality in North Korea, and you are unlikely to face open hostility from locals because of your sexual orientation. However, this is still a very conservative society, and discussing your sexuality publicly is likely to make locals feel uncomfortable. Public display of affection is generally frowned upon regardless of sexual orientation.

From a fixed-line phone: 119

From a mobile phone: 112

For medical emergencies in Pyongyang, dial 02 382-7688 locally.

Your tour guide in North Korea is your best friend. They will do their best to explain the rules and what is expected from you. If a guide tells you not to do something, listen to them. If you're not sure about something, ask. That said, you should refrain from discussing sensitive subjects such as politics, economic systems, and human rights.

Any time you engage in unbecoming conduct, your guide will be blamed for being unable to control you, and they will be penalised for your misbehaviour. Always think before you act, and think before you speak; future tourists could face restrictions on what they can do in the country because of your behaviour. In short, you have other people than yourself to consider when it comes to your behaviour.

Consider giving small gifts like cigarettes, skin creams, and so on to your guides. This will garner respect from the guides and depending on how well you conduct yourself, they may even take you to places and events in North Korea they wouldn't usually go to.

Although there are many terrific photo opportunities in North Korea, the DPRK has stringent photography laws. This largely depends on what guide you've been assigned. Do not take photographs of anything of strategic importance (i.e. places with soldiers/police officers, etc.), photographs that negatively portray the country, and things you've been told not to photograph. The North Korean authorities take these rules very seriously.

The government of the DPRK — in particular the leaders Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un — are, at least publicly, very highly revered in North Korean culture. While slavish devotion is not expected from tourists, any form of disrespect — such as criticisms or insults — towards the Kim dynasty, the Workers' Party of Korea, the North Korean government, Songun, and Juche is taken very seriously and severely punished. Keep your personal views about them to yourself.

Do not crumple, desecrate, inappropriately use, tamper with, or mishandle anything — this applies to newspapers, books, stamps, postcards, political posters, and money — bearing the names and images of the North Korean government, Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, and Kim Jong-un. This is tantamount to treason, for which you can be severely punished.

It is advisable to refer to North Korea as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the official name for the country.

For self-explanatory reasons, avoid praising South Korea, as doing so would attract unwanted attention from the North Korean authorities, and may invite more trouble than what it's worth. For similar reasons, avoid praising the United States and Japan – both countries are considered adversaries of North Korea. With North Korea adopting an anti-reunification policy in early 2024, what was politically correct has become the greatest incorrectness in North Korea.

Most, if not all, tour groups to the DPRK are asked to solemnly bow and lay flowers on one or two occasions in front of statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il when visiting monuments of national importance. If you are not prepared to do this, you should not visit North Korea. When photographing statues, especially Mansudae, you are required to get the entire statue in the picture. Formal dress is also expected at important monuments such as Mansudae or visiting the Kumsusang Memorial Palace.

North Korea is officially atheist. The regime promotes a national philosophy of self-reliance called Juche (주체) which some would categorize as a quasi-religion that pervades all aspects of life in the country. As a tourist, you will not be expected to observe this, although you must always be respectful towards symbols of Juche which are often the images of past and present leaders Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un.

Other religions such as Christianity and Buddhism are vigorously suppressed in practice with severe punishment being given to followers. You should refrain from any religious discussions during your time in North Korea, and be aware that any form of religious proselytizing is dealt with very seriously by the regime, with foreign missionaries having previously been sentenced to life imprisonment in labor camps. With this in mind, be careful of performing even personal religious rituals or bringing religious items into the country and preferably do not do so at all.

For international calls to North Korea, the country code is +850. Some phone numbers (mostly faxes) can be called directly from abroad; most other calls will need to go through the international operator service on +850-2-18111.

International calling is generally possible via landlines in hotels, though it is expensive (€2 per minute as of Feb 2012) and all calls are likely recorded and monitored.

Local calls need elusive 10 chon coins when calling from call boxes, but can also be made from hotels and post offices.

Additionally, your phone calls may be heavily monitored, so you should be careful of what you talk about in phone calls that you make in North Korea.

as of jyou are allowed to carry a mobile phone from outside the country into North Korea. You will not be able to use your current SIM card in North Korea, however. The only network you are allowed to connect to is the local network, Koryolink, via one of their SIM cards. Your phone must be a 3G WCDMA phone which can connect to the 2100MHz 3G frequency band.

A 3G mobile phone network (Koryolink) covers the 42 largest cities. It is widely used by locals who can afford it and by long-staying foreigners who file an application. SIM cards and phones can be purchased at the International Communication Center, No.2 Pothonggang-dong in Pothonggang District, opposite the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium, as well as at Pyongyang airport and some hotels. As of 2013, 3G mobile internet via Koryolink is available to foreigners, although pricing is unknown. Bear in mind that these SIM cards will only let you call internationally and to a very small number of internationally-enabled phones in North Korea. There are three plans you can choose from for your SIM card:

Purchase a prepaid SIM card for €50. This gives you the SIM card to keep indefinitely for return visits, and includes a small amount (less than €30) of calling credit.

Rent a prepaid SIM card for two weeks for €50. This includes €30 of calling credit.

Rent a prepaid SIM card for one month for €75. This includes €55 of calling credit.

Calling rates are as follows:

China and South-East Asia: €1.43 per minute.

Russia: €0.68 per minute.

France and Switzerland: €0.38 per minute.

UK and Germany: €1.58 per minute.

Internet facilities are limited to a very few North Koreans with appropriate privileges to use it. For foreigners, most of the larger hotels have Internet access available, but this needs to be applied for some days in advance. Advise your tour operator or inviting party of your requirements well ahead of time so that access permission can be arranged. There are no public internet cafés or business centres with web access in the hotels. Mobile internet is available via Koryolink's 3G network (see above) using a local SIM card, but details about this are scarce. Also, even if you have Internet access, your traffic will probably be monitored. There is very little Internet connectivity in North Korea; the little that exists is routed through mainland China and risks heavy censorship by that country's Golden Shield Project, the "Great Firewall of China".

Foreign media outlets and newspapers are banned by the North Korean government; you may only access media outlets and newspapers owned and operated by the North Korean government.

You can expect to come across fringe and controversial views of the United States, Japan, South Korea, Israel, and Western culture in North Korean media, whilst, Russian and Chinese views are considered to be praised. For example, one article published in the Pyongyang Times claimed that the United States is the world's "worst democracy strangler". Putting this aside, exposing yourself to North Korean media is an excellent way to understand how things are in the world's most secretive country, the views of the North Korean government, and what people are exposed to over here.

The Pyongyang Times. The main English-language newspaper in North Korea. If you cannot get your hands on a physical copy of the newspaper, you can read the newspaper online. There is an entire section dedicated to that..

Korean Central News Agency. The state news agency of North Korea. Available in Korean, Russian, English, Mandarin, Japanese, and Spanish.