A vacation to North Korea is “like a school trip,” says the operator of New Tour, as an isolated nation is reopened

While North Korea is preparing to open western visitors again, the leading tour operator of the isolated state has described a trip there as “like a school trip”.

Simon Cockerell, General Manager of Koryo Tours, told The independent Daily travel podcast: “Everything is managed, the travel route is planned by our partners there in advance.

“You don’t really have to think much about yourself. It is not very encouraged in North Korea anyway. “

The Koryo Tours boss spoke when his company brought the first departure into the first farewell to the Kim Jong and kingdom for five years.

The adventurer’s demand for the totalitarian backwater means that the trip is sold out – on Thursday, February 20,.

North Korea closed for western tourists in January 2020. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was the first nation to close its limits due to the Covid pandemic. It will be the last to reopen.

While a group of Russian visitors a year ago, mainly for advertising purposes

“It happened very quickly,” said Mr. Cockerell. “We were told a few weeks before or so that a few employees send in for the final meetings.

“We got a little confused and sent in one of my colleagues.

“From February 20, the border will open for tourists in only one area in the Rason area.

“We have already gathered a group to get in and then we will regularly go on trips.”

The Rason Special Economics in the High northeast of the nation is a mountain region that shares land borders with China and Russia. It also has a coast.

“There are two cities in the region, called Rason and Sombong. There are fishing villages, farming villages, etc., ”said Cockerell.

“But according to North Korean basic norms, it is actually quite advanced.

“The economy there is much better than most surrounding areas of the north, which is the poorer part of the country.

“You benefit mainly from trade, both in terms of legal and others, and also have a small border with Russia.

“Most North Koreans would look at it for a good place to live.

“It is an interesting and quirky place, but it’s definitely North Korea. The rules and regulations remain the same. The same type of propaganda you see everywhere is still there. “

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Since there is no airport in the region, tourists are driven across the border by the Chinese city of Yanji. The border crossing should be smooth, said the DPRK expert: “Rason is technically visa-free. The procedure for an entry permit is the same as the application for a visa, but faster. So there is no actual document.

“If it has been processed as soon as everything has been processed, you will be displayed on a list of the Chinese customs page and the North Korean customs page on a list of Chinese customs and the North Korean customs page. At the moment it can be done a little faster than normal. But you still can’t just appear. “

The main problem for British passers is the time and costs associated with the agreement of a double input visa for China.

“You have to enter China, then leave China, then step back in China, and you can’t do this with China’s ‘Transit-without-visa-‘ politics.

“This is not a problem for many European nationalities, since most of them are now visa for China.

“But British applicants must make sure that they keep the right Chinese visa in advance.

“Rason is a nice place to visit. It is a less nice place to be colorful because you have forgotten to get the right Chinese visa. “

A one-hour briefing before the trip that covers regulations, etiquette and security is mandatory for participants with koryo tours.

The company says: “Criminal offenses that are considered trivial in other countries can cause very serious punishments in North Korea, in particular measures that the authorities are not disrespectful towards the North Korean leadership or government or those in which religion is involved.”

Koryo Tours will take two trips per month from March. The longest tour with four nights in North Korea costs € 705 (£ 587). Highlights include visits to:

The foreign office warns of the trip to the DVRK. The travel guide says: “The security situation in North Korea can change quickly without the authorities being possible. This harbors British visitors and residents considerable risks.

“The North Korean authorities have previously imprisoned foreign nationals because of the alleged violation of local laws and refused access to support their governments.

“The support of FCDO is very limited, especially if no British message is present. Remote support is available if you can contact us online or by phone. However, the routine lack of access to internet and mobile networks makes it almost impossible to communicate outside of North Korea. “

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Koryo Tours says to potential visitors: “Of course, we take this kind of warnings very seriously and take care of this as well as various international government officials and other interested agencies we continue to carry out our DVRK tours. “

The company’s general manager added that some visitors may be able to access the Internet for the first time – in a hotel in Rason with access to the global web.

He said: “We are working on a way to bring groups to this hotel. But of course it is not so easy to just show up and connect in a North Korean way. Each device must spend several minutes to be assigned to a password. As soon as they connect more than two, the whole thing collapses.

“It is very North Korean that something exists, but it does not exist.

“You have it, but you don’t really have it. It is a situation in the flow.

“People should assume that they will not be online when they are there. And if we can get you a little internet access, that’s a bit of bonus. “

The Koryo Tours expert collected the prospects that the reopening offers and said: “You enjoy and endure a trip to North Korea alike.”