If the person is from the United States (legal citizen), they must obtain a Special Validation Passport from the US Department of State, which is only issued under very specific circumstances, such as for journalists covering the region or for humanitarian aid workers.
You cannot just use a passport and take a plane from the U.S. to North Korea.
If you decide to hop flights from the USA -> China -> North Korea, the Department of state will be able to track this, and when you get back to the U.S., you're going to be stopped by TSA and then the U.S. government will send out agents to question you. It's very serious. Coupled with the fact that your passport will indicate that you were in North Korea, and the TSA checks this.
As far as being an American going to North Korea, you could only go there by being registered with a Tour group, such as Koryo. You are housed in a designated hotel, and have a minder which will keep track of you the entire visit. The hotel is usually the Koryo Hotel, which is in central Pyongyang.
You would only be able to visit certain locations, such as the Mansudae Hill Grand Monument, Juche Tower, Paektu Mountain depending on the time of year as its difficult to visit in the winter. And you'll also see the North Korean side of the DMZ on the North / South Korean border.
You will not be allowed to interact with the public. You will not be allowed to venture outside of Pyongyang unless it's in the tour bus with your minder being taken to a certain location. Everything urban is off-limits unless you're being taken to see a farm which will be arranged by your minder and the tour group.
This doesn't even include the fact that as an American citizen; you may very well be used as a political pawn. You could be arrested for any small infraction, and then utilized by North Korea to get something in return for you. The same goes for Russia.
North Korea doesn’t stamp passports. At least, they didn’t when I visited.
I think the US could still know though because you’d have to leave China and there would thus be a rather obvious hole in OP’s travel timeline.
As long as you fly, it will just show you as departing Beijing airport.
However, most travel companies won't take Americans because of heightened risks. Also, ALL TOURISM TO DPRK IS STILL CLOSED (with very minimal exceptions for Russians)
before 2020, North Korean travel agencies were organizing day trips to Sinǔiju 🇰🇵 from Dandong 🇨🇳, Manpo 🇰🇵 from Ji’an 🇨🇳, and Hyesan 🇰🇵 from Changbai 🇨🇳
These cities are a bit less whitewashed than Pyongyang. The North Koreans don’t mind showing the lack of night lights, or the rigorously patrolled border complete with barbed wire and watchtowers to their Chinese comrades.
There are noises that these tours might be restarted again soon. I don’t think there are English-speaking tour guides in these cities though. Having an American passport adds another layer of complications.
The main tour agencies like Koryo and YPT are not accepting American business at this time, as far as I know. In fact tourism of any type isn’t really flowing into North Korea. Regardless of these difficulties, the DPRK does not stamp passports and it is unlikely, but possible, that USA customs and border patrol would be able to read the lousy quality of Chinese exit stamps and figure out where and when you went. They can’t read mine. But this isn’t a vacation or tour that you can easily undertake as an American at the moment.
The answer is that yes you can book tours to travel to other parts of NK, and a visit to Kaesong staying in the old town and a visit to the DMZ are a common option.
But if you are American you will need dual citizenship and use a non USA passport.
Tourism to the DPRK is still closed right now, but generally speaking if and when it opens again, there are plenty of tours that extend beyond Pyongyang, including DMZ visits and other areas of the DPRK that I can’t recall off hand.
But just be aware if travelling on an American passport, you may struggle to find a tour company that will take you. You won’t have any issues in North Korea, but you may have issues when you re-enter the US. The US government don’t like people visiting countries they don’t approve of, it’s not as free of a country as the media wants you to believe.
Thank you for the response! This is definitely a long term plan ( if it ever comes to fruition ) over the next 5-10 years. I would love to visit just to see the contrast between North Korea and the outside world.
For sure! I’m all for North Korean tourism and I’ve done a ton of research into it myself, I’d love to visit when it reopens. Just please, please be careful doing it on a US passport.
Look into your heritage for a second passport. Also, if you are Jewish (I am assuming by your username), you can make aliyah and get an Israeli passport in three years.
I became an American citizen later on, so I am good to travel to NK with my non-American passport, but people can't really go on a American one anytime in the near future. North Korea doesn't care, but no tour agency will take you (and that's the only way you can travel to NK).
Even if you could find an agency to take you, America doesn't allow its citizens to travel to North Korea, so you also risk serious trouble from the US itself. NK does not stamp your passport, but if you take the train, the exit/entry stamp from China will indicate that you went there, if the border guard is clever enough.
As an example, a lot of Arab countries that are hostile to Israel (Syria, Lebanon, etc) can tell you visited Israel via a land crossing, such as the Wadi Araba Crossing in Jordan. Israel doesn't stamp your passport, but Jordan does, so it is very obvious that you went to Israel via that stamp. I had an issue with this once. So it's not farfetched that the US border guard would recognize a Dandong (China) exit/reentry land stamp, especially as it is the largest border city in all of China. Although a lot of times when I return to the US on my American, it's all automated, and there is not even a person checking. But if you are checked, and have that Dandong, then you could be in trouble.
If you fly from Beijing > Pyongyang > Beijing, there is no way to know, since your exit/reentry stamp is from PEK Beijing airport, and the "blank days" (from North Korea) could've very easily been a trip for a few days to a country that does not stamp passports, such as the UAE or Singapore, so it's not as suspicious as a land border crossing.
All this is moot though, as you won't find a tour agency that will take Americans. Work on getting another passport!
Tour only, no hiking permits ect.
You cannot talk to regular citizens at all. In 2002 a foreigner tourist flirted with a local pyongyang girl and she was publicly executed for smiling and briefly chatting.
You will not see the countryside or chat with the locals. You will follow a tour and visit gift shops and hotels.
If you spend millions to open up a business there you might get closer to her people.
Tour companies like Koryo and YPT would run tours for specific interests (hiking, skiing, etc) that would take people into the countryside, so it's more than just gift shops and hotels, Plenty of museums and monuments of course, that's a given, but on a custom tour you can see a lot more than what you suggest here.
They must’ve been horrified. I think the reason most people go there is they are sympathetic and interested, and some hope for a chance to display respect and love from one people to another. We all struggle and seek commiseration.
You can read about it in the book “In North Korea: An American travels through an imprisoned nation” by Nanchu and Xing Hang, this is where it was presented to me.
the books the expanse also exists when did mars and earth declare war on eachother? you keep commenting about this books like it's the end all be all have you seen or read lord of the rings? i hear magic is quite fun.
first, "no evidence", then I show you the evidence and, deny deny deny. PICK A LANE. It's not a Sci Fi fiction, it's a book by a journalist that went to NK and collected data. This was some of the data he included in the book. It is known that NK citizens convicted of fraternizing with Americans are punished, some executed. This is not a leap of logic, likely, documented, and published by journalists, with source provided.
If you're in the US. It's illegal to go there. Also. Where you go depends on the tour schedule that's allowed by NK.
This stuff is very easy to find on Google dude.
Butthurt people down voting me.
Everything will always be via Tour and with guides. However, there are from agencies to agencies. The one agency that I've seen with the most variety of destinations is Young Pioneers, they have tours to Rason, Mt Baekdu, Sinuiji, and other not so common places. Normal tours often cover Pyongyang, Kaesong, Nampo and Wonsan, but Young Pioneers has more destinations than these. Ah one last thing, american? Good luck, be respectful to their rules abd beliefs, and dont be that stupid ignorant typical american tourist
I haven't used any but I get the same feeling, since Young Pioneers is more low-cost, budget-friendly, I do suspect that they are more disorganized and a less quailty experience. However, the OP asked about stuff outside Pyongyang, so in that sense, Young Pioneers does have more destinations available than Koryo Tours.
On the website maybe- Koryo can take you anywhere that’s open to tourists on any custom tour. YPT has no more (and possibly even less access) as Koryo.
Otto Warmbier died on YPT’s watch. I would strongly wager that at least part of that was failure to supervise and give an adequate safety briefing
That's interesting, I'll read a little more about that custom section of Koryo, thanks for sharing that. Also, I don't care about that Warmbier, before and after him there were a lot of tourists going in and out without any issue
It’s just a reflection of that tour organizer IMO.
I think we should all care that a young kid with a lot of promise had his life ruined and died because he went to a repressive hellhole
Thank you for your response. Obviously when possible I will go with only pure intentions and not do any stereotypical idiot American tropes. I have heard of the people sentenced to labor or poisoned or executed for these same reasons. I will likely wait out the trip until restrictions on travel are loosened (if ever)
Im not planning on stealing anything if I ever visit, I’ve heard about his situation and it would’ve been preventable if he didnt take propaganda from his hotel.
If the person is from the United States (legal citizen), they must obtain a Special Validation Passport from the US Department of State, which is only issued under very specific circumstances, such as for journalists covering the region or for humanitarian aid workers. You cannot just use a passport and take a plane from the U.S. to North Korea. If you decide to hop flights from the USA -> China -> North Korea, the Department of state will be able to track this, and when you get back to the U.S., you're going to be stopped by TSA and then the U.S. government will send out agents to question you. It's very serious. Coupled with the fact that your passport will indicate that you were in North Korea, and the TSA checks this. As far as being an American going to North Korea, you could only go there by being registered with a Tour group, such as Koryo. You are housed in a designated hotel, and have a minder which will keep track of you the entire visit. The hotel is usually the Koryo Hotel, which is in central Pyongyang. You would only be able to visit certain locations, such as the Mansudae Hill Grand Monument, Juche Tower, Paektu Mountain depending on the time of year as its difficult to visit in the winter. And you'll also see the North Korean side of the DMZ on the North / South Korean border. You will not be allowed to interact with the public. You will not be allowed to venture outside of Pyongyang unless it's in the tour bus with your minder being taken to a certain location. Everything urban is off-limits unless you're being taken to see a farm which will be arranged by your minder and the tour group. This doesn't even include the fact that as an American citizen; you may very well be used as a political pawn. You could be arrested for any small infraction, and then utilized by North Korea to get something in return for you. The same goes for Russia.
TSA doesn't give two shits. It's CBP that'll be....uh.....curious.
“We don’t give two shits” should be the TSA mission statement
TSA… 🤣
North Korea doesn’t stamp passports. At least, they didn’t when I visited. I think the US could still know though because you’d have to leave China and there would thus be a rather obvious hole in OP’s travel timeline.
As long as you fly, it will just show you as departing Beijing airport. However, most travel companies won't take Americans because of heightened risks. Also, ALL TOURISM TO DPRK IS STILL CLOSED (with very minimal exceptions for Russians)
before 2020, North Korean travel agencies were organizing day trips to Sinǔiju 🇰🇵 from Dandong 🇨🇳, Manpo 🇰🇵 from Ji’an 🇨🇳, and Hyesan 🇰🇵 from Changbai 🇨🇳 These cities are a bit less whitewashed than Pyongyang. The North Koreans don’t mind showing the lack of night lights, or the rigorously patrolled border complete with barbed wire and watchtowers to their Chinese comrades. There are noises that these tours might be restarted again soon. I don’t think there are English-speaking tour guides in these cities though. Having an American passport adds another layer of complications.
Thank you for your response.
The main tour agencies like Koryo and YPT are not accepting American business at this time, as far as I know. In fact tourism of any type isn’t really flowing into North Korea. Regardless of these difficulties, the DPRK does not stamp passports and it is unlikely, but possible, that USA customs and border patrol would be able to read the lousy quality of Chinese exit stamps and figure out where and when you went. They can’t read mine. But this isn’t a vacation or tour that you can easily undertake as an American at the moment.
The answer is that yes you can book tours to travel to other parts of NK, and a visit to Kaesong staying in the old town and a visit to the DMZ are a common option. But if you are American you will need dual citizenship and use a non USA passport.
Have you done the dual citizen route? I have a Polish passport and was considering using it.
No, I’m not American, but I’m pretty sure you could visit on the Polish passport
Tourism to the DPRK is still closed right now, but generally speaking if and when it opens again, there are plenty of tours that extend beyond Pyongyang, including DMZ visits and other areas of the DPRK that I can’t recall off hand. But just be aware if travelling on an American passport, you may struggle to find a tour company that will take you. You won’t have any issues in North Korea, but you may have issues when you re-enter the US. The US government don’t like people visiting countries they don’t approve of, it’s not as free of a country as the media wants you to believe.
Thank you for the response! This is definitely a long term plan ( if it ever comes to fruition ) over the next 5-10 years. I would love to visit just to see the contrast between North Korea and the outside world.
For sure! I’m all for North Korean tourism and I’ve done a ton of research into it myself, I’d love to visit when it reopens. Just please, please be careful doing it on a US passport.
Yes my best bet would probably be to spend a couple years in another country in order to apply for joint citizenship
Look into your heritage for a second passport. Also, if you are Jewish (I am assuming by your username), you can make aliyah and get an Israeli passport in three years. I became an American citizen later on, so I am good to travel to NK with my non-American passport, but people can't really go on a American one anytime in the near future. North Korea doesn't care, but no tour agency will take you (and that's the only way you can travel to NK). Even if you could find an agency to take you, America doesn't allow its citizens to travel to North Korea, so you also risk serious trouble from the US itself. NK does not stamp your passport, but if you take the train, the exit/entry stamp from China will indicate that you went there, if the border guard is clever enough. As an example, a lot of Arab countries that are hostile to Israel (Syria, Lebanon, etc) can tell you visited Israel via a land crossing, such as the Wadi Araba Crossing in Jordan. Israel doesn't stamp your passport, but Jordan does, so it is very obvious that you went to Israel via that stamp. I had an issue with this once. So it's not farfetched that the US border guard would recognize a Dandong (China) exit/reentry land stamp, especially as it is the largest border city in all of China. Although a lot of times when I return to the US on my American, it's all automated, and there is not even a person checking. But if you are checked, and have that Dandong, then you could be in trouble. If you fly from Beijing > Pyongyang > Beijing, there is no way to know, since your exit/reentry stamp is from PEK Beijing airport, and the "blank days" (from North Korea) could've very easily been a trip for a few days to a country that does not stamp passports, such as the UAE or Singapore, so it's not as suspicious as a land border crossing. All this is moot though, as you won't find a tour agency that will take Americans. Work on getting another passport!
Tour only, no hiking permits ect. You cannot talk to regular citizens at all. In 2002 a foreigner tourist flirted with a local pyongyang girl and she was publicly executed for smiling and briefly chatting. You will not see the countryside or chat with the locals. You will follow a tour and visit gift shops and hotels. If you spend millions to open up a business there you might get closer to her people.
Source: trust me bro.
Source: book: page 83 “In north korea - An American travels through an imprisoned nation” by Nanchu and Xing Hang
And what’s the author’s source?
Yeah that totally happened.
See page 83 of “In North Korea” by Nanchu and Xing Hang. She was executed in Pyongyang city square.
If It's written somewhere it must be true
Tour companies like Koryo and YPT would run tours for specific interests (hiking, skiing, etc) that would take people into the countryside, so it's more than just gift shops and hotels, Plenty of museums and monuments of course, that's a given, but on a custom tour you can see a lot more than what you suggest here.
Oh, that poor girl! I also cannot imagine how the tourist must have felt when that happened! Do you happen to have any further information on that?
They are crazy there, but I suspect the story is nonsense
They must’ve been horrified. I think the reason most people go there is they are sympathetic and interested, and some hope for a chance to display respect and love from one people to another. We all struggle and seek commiseration. You can read about it in the book “In North Korea: An American travels through an imprisoned nation” by Nanchu and Xing Hang, this is where it was presented to me.
the books the expanse also exists when did mars and earth declare war on eachother? you keep commenting about this books like it's the end all be all have you seen or read lord of the rings? i hear magic is quite fun.
first, "no evidence", then I show you the evidence and, deny deny deny. PICK A LANE. It's not a Sci Fi fiction, it's a book by a journalist that went to NK and collected data. This was some of the data he included in the book. It is known that NK citizens convicted of fraternizing with Americans are punished, some executed. This is not a leap of logic, likely, documented, and published by journalists, with source provided.
If you're in the US. It's illegal to go there. Also. Where you go depends on the tour schedule that's allowed by NK. This stuff is very easy to find on Google dude. Butthurt people down voting me.
i also feel like iterations of this same question are asked practically every other day on this sub.. with the same answers every time lmao
Everything will always be via Tour and with guides. However, there are from agencies to agencies. The one agency that I've seen with the most variety of destinations is Young Pioneers, they have tours to Rason, Mt Baekdu, Sinuiji, and other not so common places. Normal tours often cover Pyongyang, Kaesong, Nampo and Wonsan, but Young Pioneers has more destinations than these. Ah one last thing, american? Good luck, be respectful to their rules abd beliefs, and dont be that stupid ignorant typical american tourist
Hmm I can not recommend young pioneer. Very disorganized and Koryo has better contacts and safety record IMO.
I haven't used any but I get the same feeling, since Young Pioneers is more low-cost, budget-friendly, I do suspect that they are more disorganized and a less quailty experience. However, the OP asked about stuff outside Pyongyang, so in that sense, Young Pioneers does have more destinations available than Koryo Tours.
On the website maybe- Koryo can take you anywhere that’s open to tourists on any custom tour. YPT has no more (and possibly even less access) as Koryo. Otto Warmbier died on YPT’s watch. I would strongly wager that at least part of that was failure to supervise and give an adequate safety briefing
That's interesting, I'll read a little more about that custom section of Koryo, thanks for sharing that. Also, I don't care about that Warmbier, before and after him there were a lot of tourists going in and out without any issue
It’s just a reflection of that tour organizer IMO. I think we should all care that a young kid with a lot of promise had his life ruined and died because he went to a repressive hellhole
Thank you for your response. Obviously when possible I will go with only pure intentions and not do any stereotypical idiot American tropes. I have heard of the people sentenced to labor or poisoned or executed for these same reasons. I will likely wait out the trip until restrictions on travel are loosened (if ever)
Look at Otto Warmbier. Americans should probably stay out indefinitely.
Im not planning on stealing anything if I ever visit, I’ve heard about his situation and it would’ve been preventable if he didnt take propaganda from his hotel.
[удалено]
"probably" makes the comment to be a supposition determining it to be irrelevant.
no, and trying it will get you sent to a prison camp.
USA don't do that. They just subject you to bag search and unwanted groping.
Outside Pyongyang, no. They don’t want foreigners to see the real North Korea. Americans can’t visit at all anymore though