Daily life in the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)

But don’t forget, under no circumstances can North Korea be explored on your own. You have two options. Either you book an individual trip to North Korea complete with two local guides and a driver in a stylish vintage Mercedes assigned to you, or you visit the country as part of an international group. In the case of the latter, two local guides, a Western guide and a driver also accompany you. Although requests can be made, the program is so tightly organized you are kind of restricted as a tourist. In other words, you get to see the North Korea that the government wants you to see. This in itself is already fascinating. Of course there are limitations. It is strictly forbidden to take photographs of military installations (but isn’t this the case in any country?) such as the border with South Korea. Bowing to statues of the Great Leader is also requisite. But however well orchestrated the trip tries to be (which is equally true of many Western package tours where the tourist only sees and experiences that which the tour operator opts to show them) you still get a glimpse of the real North Korea. In the capital, Pyongyang, with its empty streets (only the happy few drive cars) stunningly beautiful girls assume the role of traffic lights. As they stand beneath blue umbrellas, they regulate the traffic with robotic and pneumatic movements. And between the official visits to museums, monuments and mausoleums, you do catch a remarkable insight into the daily life of the North Korean. Case in point, August 15th or Liberation Day when the North Koreans flock to their parks to picnic, dance, sing, play... families sit on the grass beneath the trees and most women wear their best outfits for the occasion.

Mass devotion

But the biggest reason to visit North Korea is the Mass Games. There are only a few words to describe an event of this size and impact. The ‘Arirang’ or Mass Games run weekly each year from the 1st of August and continue until early September. 80,000 dancers and gymnasts train throughout the year to perform for their compatriots - their leader especially. In addition to the gymnasts, over 20,000 cardholders sit in the audience and make patterns appear through the synchronized turning of colored cards. As a tourist, attending and taking photos of these events is absolutely no problem. And attending the event doesn’t come cheap - prices for an evening range from 130 dollars for third class seats to 450 dollars for VIP seats. Notwithstanding, many visitors choose to attend the Mass Games several times because they are just so visually spectacular. It is a mass movement of devotion and worship, something that is both unthinkable and impossible in Western countries. Upon witnessing an event like this, some tourists may wonder whether travelling to a country like North Korea is ethically correct; a question no doubt that everyone has to ponder upon which applies to any global destination which isn’t exactly 100% kosher, politically correct or corruption free. However small it may be, tourism is also a source of income for the North Koreans and does provide a certain level of interaction between the foreigner and the North Korean where the visitor gets to see the inhabitant as he really is and vice versa. At the end of the day, travelling to the DPRK raises a corner of the veil for both sides.