Photography in the DPRK reveals as much about the country and its people as the preconceptions and interests, as well as motives, of the photographer. This year I was keen to do likewise and this blog provides a selection of my latest photos – to access them follow the menu button above. In 2005 I had taken a considerable number of photographs which were uploaded on a blog that I published shortly after. Of all the places I have visited, the DPRK has been the one where I have had a compulsive urge to photograph, a phenomenon seemingly shared with others who visit the country including the Chinese who represent the biggest number of visitors. Set aside the politics and the international relations, the North Koreans are people after all. At no stage did I feel hostile looks and it was made clear that whilst the DPRK state was in a state of tension with other governments, there was no resentment to citizens of other countries. Without exception local people were very friendly but interactions tend to be basic, on a transactional basis with language a constraint to more in-depth conversation. Just as a tourist derives only superficial understanding of what it must be like to live in the DPRK, it is truly difficult to explain what living in the capitalist world entails and to expect that it makes sense to a North Korean. His knowledge of world affairs was impressive yet despite being in his mid 40s had only once travelled outside North Korea and then, to spend a mere six days in Mongolia. His loyalty to the regime was unshakeable but there was a logic to the manner he which he expressed commitment. I spent a lot of time in conversation with the senior of the two and discussed everything from politics and international relations to children and careers. After we’d said goodbye to our guides at Pyongyang Airport it felt weird not having them around, a state of mind that we jokingly referred to as Pyongyang Syndrome.Īt no stage did our guides seek to convert us or remonstrate with different opinions. As individuals they were decent people who genuinely wanted you to enjoy the tour. Our party was accompanied by a couple of guides whose professionalism and efforts could not be faulted. The DPRK is by no means a normal place and whilst it’s not easy to get used to being shadowed, they had their benefits. On the one hand they can be seen as people monitoring your movements and photography, on the other they can be seen as people who facilitate visits to places and get the permissions to pass through the military checkpoints on the main road arteries. At first it is a little strange to be shepherded and have limitations on solo wanderings but the reality is that you’d struggle as an independent tourist in the DPRK anyway. As a destination it is safe and secure with little prospect of theft or injury.Įvery tour party is accompanied by a couple of guides from the Korean International Travel Company (KITC) and they accompany you from breakfast until night. You certainly do not want to risk the consequences or the wrath of a zealous bureaucrat but by the same token, you’d have to do something pretty dumb to be in that situation. It’s definitely not a place to break the rules and there are strict regulations about photography, proselytising religion and being respectful to the DPRK leadership past and present. Having been before I had a good understanding of what it’s like to visit the country and the confidence not to be dissuaded by fears of safety. Yet fourteen years have elapsed and it’s now eight years since Kim Jong Un assumed power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il. Back in 2005 the DPRK had felt such an anachronism that I was convinced it was near to collapse. The return visit was prompted by the fact that I already had plans to be in the Far East and curiosity got the better of me about how the country had changed. This is the organisation who organised the trip that was the basis of the Michael Palin documentary in 2018. On both occasions I travelled with Koryo Tours (link below) who I heartily recommend. I’ve now been to the DPRK on two occasions, the first in October, 2005 and my most recent visit was in August, 2019. Having travelled widely in eastern Europe in the 1980s whilst studying international relations and politics, Korea has always had a particular fascination for me in the context of the Cold War and its aftermath. Besides I don’t get my kicks lying on a beach and the DPRK offers the ultimate digital detox: no mobiles, internet or social media. North Korea might seem an odd choice for a travel destination but if you fancy something different and a destination to provoke some thinking you could do far worse.
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