5 Myths About North Korea You Should Not Believe

Have you ever wondered whether all those stories you’ve heard about North Korea are actually true? What are the most common myths about North Korea?

I’ve recently returned from an organised group tour in this country. Like many people that choose to travel to North Korea, I had many questions upon entering this secretive country. I’d heard stories from other people and myths about North Korea reported in the media, however, I was interested to see it from my own perspective.

After observing the people and talking to my local guides about their lifestyles, I’d like to share some myths about North Korea. These are all based on my experience in this country.

# The local guides must be with you at ALL times!

This is almost true. The guides are responsible for you and they do keep a very close eye on you are at all times. The majority of your time in the country is spent on the tour bus, with your guides and your group.

The itinerary is very structured to visit sites, cities, and places that are chosen for you. Most photo opportunities are only to snap photos through the window of the bus.

It is forbidden to wander off on your own when you do have a chance to leave the bus and visit sights. Your guides will politely warn you of

# It’s too difficult to get a visa to enter North Korea

This country often shows up on the list of most difficult countries to visit. The visa process was actually very simple. The only way to enter the DPRK is to book an organised tour.

You pay the company the tour cost and this generally includes the cost to arrange your visa for you.

Some nationalities have embassies in their home countries, so this can also be arranged directly with them with the assistance of the tour company.

It seems that the people who do have trouble obtaining visas are journalists & reporters. I found out later that once I had booked my tour, my background was double-checked to ensure I wasn’t lying and that I didn’t have a background in journalism.

# Your hotel room is bugged and has cameras to monitor you

Are you monitored the entire time? Many people believe that your hotel room is rigged with cameras to watch your every move and bugged with devices to listen in to your conversations. This isn’t true.

Sure, each floor of the hotel, the hallways, dining areas, entertainment areas and perimeters have security cameras to monitor you.

Our Western guides explained that the hotel room is not bugged. There is no need to worry about your conversations in your room after a few drinks about what you’ve seen that day, your thoughts and opinions, etc.

# There’s only one hotel where tourists stay

Our guide explained that most tour groups stay at the Yanggakdo hotel (where we also stayed during our time here) because it is considered the best tourist hotel and has the best facilities and entertainment options for the evenings. This is the only time you will get some free time to yourself (however you cannot leave the hotel without being accompanied by your local guide).

There are a few other hotels in Pyongyang – the Yanggakdo hotel and the Koryo Hotel being the main ones.

We’re told that there are a couple of smaller hotels that smaller groups may be accommodated in during busy times of the year, and then some lower-class hotels too. It really depends on which hotel your tour company uses for their tours and what price you’ve paid for your trip.

# Everyone is an actor and everything you see is fake

“What you see is fake and set up for tourists!” is another one of the popular myths about North Korea.

Depending on which tour you choose and the duration of your stay in the DPRK, your itinerary is certainly planned and structured. Most other tour groups will have a very similar itinerary.

Your guides are essentially government representatives. They must show you only the parts of their country that their government requests them to show you. Naturally, their aim is to give you the best impression of their country.

There is little you can do to visit the much poorer parts of the country to gain an insight into how much poverty really exists.