North Korean Tourism

1. North Korean Tourism It’s actually a real thing

2. What do you know? • What is the capital of North Korea? • What is their official name for their own country? • Who is their current leader? • What do you know about their nuclear weapons? • What stories have you heard about what life is like in North Korea?

3. Quick facts • Capital: Pyongyang • Their official name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)  • Currency: thewon • Leader: Kim Jong-Un • Population: 25,000,000 • GDP per capita: $1,800 (low) • Religion: atheist (some privately practice Buddhism or Christianity, public religion is frowned upon) • Ranked the Least Democratic country in the world by the Economist • Has the least amount of Freedom of the Press as well

8. More info • North Korea officially describes itself as a self-reliant socialist state • Critics regard it as a totalitarian dictatorship • International organizations have assessed human rights violations in North Korea as belonging to a category of their own, with no parallel in the contemporary world. • The means of production are owned by the state through state-run enterprises and collectivized farms

9. Little Bit of History • Occupied by the Japanese 1910-1945 • their Korean culture and language were supressed • Occupied by the Soviets 1945-1950 • 1945 - Korea was divided into 2 zones • The northern half was occupied by the USSR and the southern half by the USA • The DPRK was established on Sept 9, 1948 • The Korean War 1950-1953; the North (helped by Russia and China) invaded the South (helped by the USA)

10. Since the war • There has been a lot of tension between the 2 Koreas • There have been bombings, assassinations, kidnappings • There are tunnels the DPRK army dug under the border to be used during a possible invasion • The DPRK has shut itself off from most of the world – “the Hermit Kingdom” • The North and the South are currently trying to mend their relationship – we’ll see how that goes!

11. The 3 Great Leaders

12. Kim Il-Sung • The supreme leader for 46 years • He invaded South Korea in an attempt to unify all Koreans • He was known as Korea's "sun," and claimed control of the weather. • His birthday is a national holiday • After his death in 1994, Sung was embalmed and still lies in state in Pyongyang

13. Kim jong-il • Kim Il Sung’s oldest son, he ruled from 1994 to his death in 2011 • Under his regime, there was the famine, and he had a terrible human right record • He strengthened the role of the military • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSWN6Qj98Iw People sobbing at his death • Apparently they were finding fake criers and sending them to labour camps • He scored a perfect 300 the first time he tried bowling, and shot five holes-in-one the first time he played golf. • Upon his death in 2011, the skies about the sacred mountain allegedly glowed red

14. Kim jong un • The third son of Kim Jong-Il • The news media have described the new leader as "born of heaven" upon his ascension to head of state. • Came to power in 2011 • He had his uncle and older brother assassinated • He loves military parades, big splashy projects that make the country seem better off than they are, and lying to people about how he’ll give up all his nukes

15. Spot the Future Dictator • Kim Jong-Un went to an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland for a time when he was a teenager • Apparently he was obsessed with basketball and computer games

16. What do they want us to think life is like there

17. The Fake Town • The town of Kijong-dong is in the Demilitarized Zone • It has brightly painted houses, schools, daycare, even a hospital – but it’s all fake • Referred to as the “Propaganda Village” and it is believed to be a decoy for luring South Korean defectors. • The buildings are actually concrete shells with no glass in their windows, electric lights operate on an automatic timer, and the only people in sight are maintenance workers who sweep the streets to give the impression of activity.

18. Elections • They do have elections, however there is only one choice per position, and you can only vote Yes or No • Abstaining or voting no are considered acts of treason • Voting works like a census • Some people who have escaped the DPRK come back temporarily just to vote so their absence won’t be noticed and their families won’t be punished

19. That big weird empty skyscraper • Ryugyong Hotel • An unfinished 105-story pyramid-shaped skyscraper in Pyongyang, North Korea • They stopped building when they ran out of money

20. Pyongyang Metro • Two of the stops are ornately decorated; these are the only 2 stops visitors were allowed to see, now there is a tiny bit more leniency • Pyongyang Metro is among the deepest metros in the world, with the track at over 110 metres deep underground • Due to the depth of the metro, its stations can double as bomb shelters

21. Water Park • North Korea opened a shiny new water park in east Pyongyang to characteristically over-the-top fanfare. • The official unveiling ceremony included the chiefs of the armed forces and top government officials. There was, of course, a full military parade.

22. Kim Jong Un loves to put money into these sorts of big, lavish projects. • Last year, they opened a dolphinarium. • Projects like this might seem absurd, given how many North Koreans go without electricity or at times food • They reinforce a sense of both national prosperity, a sign that North Korea truly is as rich and advanced as state media routinely claims. • For years, the government simply told its citizens they were wealthier than everyone else

23. What is life really like there

24. While the capital of Pyongyang is flourishing with new high-rise apartments, amusement parks and swimming pools, regular people on the outskirts continue to suffer from starvation and hunger

25. “The Hermit Kingdom” • Strict isolationist policies have given NK the nickname “the Hermit Kingdom” • They are trying to reach out a little bit to other countries • The children of the elites all go to schools around the world

26. Military • Its active duty army of 1.21 million is the 4th largest in the world, after China, the United States and India • North Korean men are required to join the military at the age of 17 and serve for a decade.

27. Propaganda Everywhere • There are statues, paintings and posters everywhere • All media outlets serve as government mouthpieces, all journalists are Party members • Listening to foreign broadcasts carries the threat of a death penalty

28. Labour Camps • People perceived as hostile to the government, such as Christians or critics of the leadership, are deported to labor camps without trial, often with their whole family and mostly without any chance of being released. • Torture, malnutrition, slave labor and public execution are ways of life in the camps • An estimate 40% of camp prisoners die of malnutrition. • There are six camps, mostly in Siberia, surrounded by electrified barbed wire.

29. Their Perceptions Of The Rest Of The World • It’s difficult to tell how many people genuinely believe the propaganda versus how many are just putting on a show and understand their country is not as great as they’re told • They’re told to hate the American government • They’re told the Western world is holding them back through sanctions • They’re told that North Korea is doing so much better than most other countries, and that there is terrible poverty in South Korea and the USA

30. The Internet • The Internet is almost inaccessible, you need permission to access it • People with access to a computer can use the closed national intranet

31. The Black Market • Since the outbreak of the famine in the 1990s, the government has reluctantly tolerated illegal black markets while officially maintaining a state socialist economy. • North Koreans have also been exposed to K-pop which spreads through illegal markets. • Smuggled DVDs from South Korea have enabled average North Koreans to get a glimpse of the world outside their borders.

32. Infrastructure • North Korea's energy infrastructure is obsolete and in disrepair. • Power shortages are chronic • Road transport is very limited — less than 3% of roads are paved, and maintenance on most roads is poor • Electric power largely shuts down at night, and the homes that have electricity often receive only a few hours per day.

33. North Korea from Space

34. No Cultural knowledge • Most North Koreans have very little knowledge of what is going on in the rest of the world, whether in politics or just pop culture • They won’t know of entire modern music genres

35. Official Haircuts • North Korean authorities have reportedly stepped up a crackdown on “non-socialist” behaviour, including unapproved hairstyles

36. Escaping North Korea

37. First Stop: China • Many try to escape by sneaking into China, they pay human smugglers • Then they flee to a third country, because China will send them back if they’re caught • If sent back, they are sent to labour camps

38. Trouble Adjusting • North Korean defectors experience serious difficulties adjusting once they have been resettled • In South Korea, all new arrivals from North Korea spend months in special government schools learning how to cope with the 21st Century • Many have Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

39. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq3CXm9zCy0 Video of man escaping over North Korean border, very dramatic

40. What is it like being a visitor there

41. Tourism in the dprk • Tourism in North Korea is tightly controlled by the government • Only about 4,000 to 6,000 Western tourists visit each year

42. If you visit, you will never be left alone, you will have a minder/translator with you at all times • You will have to go on their strictly controlled itinerary of spots they want to show off to the Western world to show how prosperous they are • There is basically one hotel that all foreigners have to stay at, and it’s on an island so you can’t escape and go wandering the city

43. Interactions between foreign tourists and local people have historically been tightly controlled • Disrespect against the DPRK or its leaders are regarded as very offensive. It can lead to imprisonment and torture

44. In 2016, an American college student, Otto Warmbier, was arrested and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for allegedly removing a propaganda poster from a wall in his Pyongyang hotel. • He was later released and returned to the U.S. in a coma, which led to his death in 2017 • In July 2017, the U.S. government announced that American citizens would no longer be permitted to visit North Korea as tourists.

45. Gambling • Though gambling is prohibited for North Korean citizens, two casinos exist in North Korea for the Chinese tourist market

46. Prohibited Items • Religious material • Pornographic material • Political material • Travel guides • More recently, you now can bring your laptop, camera, cell phone. • Even though telecommunications are tightly controlled, you can purchase a local SIM to make and receive calls • Rates are high and your calls may be monitored. • They might check your camera to see if you took any pictures you shouldn’t have

47. Be Careful • Your guide will take your passport and keep it. • DPRK border officials will sometimes confiscate visitors' cell phones upon arrival, returning the phone only upon departure. • Always follow the rules of your tour as failing to do so can place you and your guide at risk. He/she will be subjected to severe penalties, for assisting your "espionage". • You can talk to local people but the language barrier and lack of freedom of speech can stifle conversation

48. Respect to the leaders • Most, if not all, tour groups are asked to solemnly bow and lay flowers in front of statues of Kim Il Sung • Always act in a respectful manner around images or monuments of the North Korean leader and keep any negative thoughts or opinions to yourself. • It's a criminal offense in North Korea to show disrespect to the country's leaders. Anyone violating the laws of North Korea may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned.

49. Keep in mind… • Your tourism dollars go to the fund their military, their nuclear program, etc • This government is a dictatorship with a terrible human rights record

50. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJRTzsW3GT413:14, Pyongyang calling: we spent a week in North Korea