North Korea Travel Guide

Visiting North Korea is a very controlled affair. Only guided tours are permitted that strictly regulate the places at which you stop, the pictures you may take, where you are allowed, the hotels at which you stay and what you can see. If you’d like to go entry is usually through China, crossing through Sinjiju, the North Korean Border town. While North Korea has a lot of natural beauty, including temples perched in serene mountain settings, the majority of the attractions are some form of monument or structure in honour of Kim II Sung, the late leader of North Korea. Popular monuments include a statue at Manusudae Hill, Kim II Sung’s burial memorial, and Mangyondae, the site of Kim II Sung’s birth. More recently built monuments include the Tower of Juche, meant to embody the country’s philosophy of self-reliance, and is the highest stone tower in the world. One probable stop in North Korea will also be the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs, North Korea’s first world heritage site, featuring 63 tombs from the Goguryeo kingdom, considered one of the three kingdoms of Korea. North Korea is the type of country to visit for curiosity, but be prepared for rigid processes, strict controls and no freedom of movement.