First British tourists allowed back into North Korea tell BBC what they saw

When traveling to North Korea, remember: do not insult the leader, do not offend the ideology, and do not make rash judgments. These are the rules that tour guides repeatedly emphasize to Western tourists before entering North Korea. As one of the world's most mysterious and repressive countries, these rules are designed to ensure that tourists' behavior does not offend local political and social norms.

In addition to political considerations, there is also some practical information to know. For example, there is no mobile phone signal or internet access in North Korea, and there are no ATMs. These restrictions make tourists' contact with the outside world almost completely interrupted during their stay in North Korea, requiring thorough preparation in advance.

Despite the many restrictions, travel companies emphasize that the North Korean people are not robots; they have their own opinions, goals, and senses of humor. Rowan Beard, the head of Young Pioneer Tours, said that their guides encourage tourists to listen to and understand the North Korean people. The company is one of the few Western companies that resumed tours to North Korea last week after a five-year hiatus.

North Korea closed its borders at the beginning of the pandemic, prohibiting diplomats, aid workers, and tourists from entering, making it almost impossible for the outside world to understand the situation in North Korea. Since then, North Korea has further isolated itself from the world, relying mainly on the support of Russia and China. Many people have doubted whether Western tourists would have the opportunity to enter North Korea again.

After years of efforts, Rowan and other travel executives were finally allowed to resume operations. They gathered a group of tourists eager to travel to North Korea in just five hours. Most of these tourists are video bloggers, travel enthusiasts, some hoping to fulfill their desire to "check in" to all countries, and others who have a strong interest in North Korea.

Last Thursday, tourists from the UK, France, Germany, and Australia entered North Korea's Rason region from the Chinese border, beginning a four-night trip. British YouTube blogger Mike O'Kennedy was also among them. Despite his knowledge of North Korea, he was still shocked by the extreme degree of control. As with all tours to North Korea, these tourists were accompanied by local guides and visited according to a strict, pre-approved itinerary, including carefully arranged breweries, schools, and a well-stocked pharmacy.

Ben Weston, a tour guide from Suffolk, compared the trip to North Korea to "attending a school-organized trip." He said: "You can't leave the hotel without a guide." Mike also said: "There were a few times I even had to tell them I wanted to go to the bathroom. I don't need to do that anywhere else in the world."

Despite the strict regulations, Mike still captured some glimpses of real life. He said: "Everyone is working, and it feels like no one is just hanging around. It feels a bit depressing." During a visit to a school, a group of eight-year-olds performed a dance with an animation of a ballistic missile hitting a target in the background. The video shows the children wearing red scarves and singing, while explosions flash on the screen.

Currently, tourists are restricted to areas outside of Pyongyang. Greg Vaczi of Koryo Tours admits that the current itinerary lacks Pyongyang's "important landmarks." He believes that the authorities chose Rason as a pilot because the area is relatively closed and easy to control. Rason is set up as a special economic zone designed to experiment with new financial policies; it is like a miniature capitalist enclave inside a socialist country. Chinese businessmen can relatively freely enter and exit the country to operate joint ventures with North Koreans.

Joe Smith is an experienced North Korea traveler and former contributor to the North Korea news platform NK News. This is his third visit to North Korea. He said: "I feel like the more times you go, the less you know. Each time you get a glimpse behind the scenes, but that only creates more questions."

Joe was most impressed by an unscheduled visit to a luxury goods market. There, people sold jeans, perfume, fake LV handbags, and Japanese washing machines, all of which were likely imported from China. Tourists were not allowed to take pictures here, and they speculated that this was to hide the consumer bubble from the rest of North Korea.

Joe said: "This was the only place where people didn't expect us to show up. It felt chaotic and real, a place where North Koreans would actually go. I liked it here." But according to experienced guides, activities were more restricted on this trip compared to previous trips, and tourists had few opportunities to wander the streets, walk into barbershops or supermarkets, and talk to locals.

Greg of Koryo Tours said that the COVID-19 pandemic is often cited as the reason for the restrictions. He said: "On the surface, they are still very worried. Our luggage was disinfected at the border, our temperatures were taken, and about 50% of the people were still wearing masks." Greg could not determine whether this concern was genuine or an excuse to control people.

It is believed that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted North Korea, but it is difficult to know the extent of its impact. Local guides repeat the government's claim that the virus entered North Korea through balloons from South Korea and was quickly eradicated within 90 days. But Rowan, who has been to North Korea more than 100 times, felt that Rason was affected by strict COVID-19 regulations. He said that many Chinese businesses have closed, and their workers have left.

Even experienced North Korea traveler Joe noticed that the buildings were dilapidated. He said: "The lights were dim everywhere except in our hotel rooms, and there was no heating." He mentioned visiting a cold, dark, and empty art gallery. "It felt like they just opened the door for us."

Joe said that the regime's propaganda photos may make North Korea look clean and shiny, but when you experience it in person, you realize that "the roads are terrible, the sidewalks are wobbly, and the buildings are strangely constructed." He said that his hotel room was old-fashioned and dirty, like "his grandmother's living room." The entire window was cracked.

He said: "They've had five years to fix these problems. North Koreans are very sensitive about what they show tourists. If this is the best they can show, I can't imagine what's worse." Most of North Korea is hidden, and it is believed that more than 40% of the population is malnourished and in need of assistance.

One of the few opportunities for tourists to interact with locals in North Korea is through their guides, who sometimes speak English. On recent trips, these guides were surprisingly well-informed, despite North Korea's powerful propaganda machine and information blockade. Greg said that this may be because they talk to the Chinese businessmen who come and go.

They knew about Trump's tariffs and the war in Ukraine, and even knew that North Korean troops were involved. But when Joe showed a photo from Syria, his guide did not know that President Assad had been overthrown. "I carefully explained that sometimes when people don't like their leaders, they rise up and force them out of office, and at first he didn't believe me."

This kind of conversation needs to be handled carefully. Strict laws prohibit North Koreans from speaking freely. Asking or revealing too much information could put the guide or the tourist themselves at risk. Mike admitted that sometimes it made him nervous. During a visit to the North Korea-Russia Friendship House, he was invited to leave a message in the guest book. "My mind went blank, and I wrote something like 'I hope for world peace.' Afterwards, my guide told me that it was inappropriate to write that. It made me feel very uneasy," he said.

"Overall, the guides did a good job of making us feel safe. It's just that there were a few moments when I thought this was too strange." For Greg of Koryo Tours, these interactions bring a deeper meaning to North Korea tourism: "North Koreans have the opportunity to interact with foreigners. This allows them to generate new ideas, which is very important in such a closed country."

But tourism to North Korea is controversial, especially when tourists are allowed to return before aid workers and most Western diplomats, including those from the UK. Critics, including Joanna Hosaniak of the Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, argue that these trips mainly benefit the regime. She said: "It's not like tourism in other poor countries, where locals can benefit from the extra income. The vast majority of people don't know these tourists exist. Their money goes to the state and ultimately to the military."

A conversation kept echoing in the mind of YouTube blogger Mike. During a visit to a school, he was surprised when a girl said after meeting him that she hoped to visit the UK someday. "I couldn't bear to tell her that her chances were very, very slim," he said.