To want to urge tourists to stay away from North Korea?

[marmiteisnice]

After what happened to Otto warmbier I think people should stay far, far away from nk. I understand people want to visit to experience their culture etc but why should we be spending money on a country who would rather us dead? They don't want us there they just want our dollar so to speak.

Very very few tourists visit North Korea

I don't understand why anyone would want to go in the first place. What aspects of culture are appealing?

Well, if you don't do your basic research on what a country is like before visiting, and then choose to break the law while there then you've only got yourself to blame really...

It certainly wasn't on my list!

Thanks Captain Obvious.

I know someone who has visited it is highly controlled and you can't wander off. Even the people you talk to are vetted. It's not somewhere I would choose to visit but that's my choice.

Are you saying he deserved it FatherBenny?

? It's not like it's the hot holiday destination this year or like no-one noticed what happened to Warmbier. You can't even get into the country without getting onto one of the very few restricted tours.

Unless you're trying to cut off diplomatic relations with the country entirely, which would be let's say unwise, you're trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

I can't believe anyone would consider that a tourist destination. Certainly doesn't feature in any travel brochures!!

Well, no deserved it is too harsh but it was certainly a very stupid idea to go there and behave that way wasn't it. Everyone knows how they treat their own citizens, not sure how he would have thought he would fare any better.

at Captain Obvious.

I must admit that I haven't been perusing brochures for hotels in North Korea.

LAlady the person I know who visited was born in S. Korea and then moved to the US. She found it fascinating.

Now you tell me! The deposit's un-refundable!

Nobody deserves what's happened in this case, I don't think anyone is saying that. It's awful and about as far from justice as it gets.

However, if you go somewhere like North Korea, you should do your research and follow their rules.

You can't just choose to fly there anyway; you've got to get on to one of the special packaged tours, and even then your visa might not be approved.

Hardly any tourists can or do visit North Korea. Do you actually know the first thing about it all, or have you just been reading a newspaper?

Now you tell me! The deposit's un-refundable!

squishysquirmy

FatherBenny, while I agree that it'should arrogant and unwise to assume you can ignore local laws, it's unclear whether Warmbier actually committed the crime he was convicted of. The CCTV 'proof' just shows a dark figure, and his tearful public confession was obviously scripted and coerced. It's plausible the regime simply wanted to make an example of a Western tourist and he was extremely unlucky.

I can't say I'm straining at the bit to visit myself, but the tourist there haven't accidentally stumbled over the border and I'm pretty sure they know what they're getting into.

Well, no deserved it is too harsh but it was certainly a very stupid idea to go there and behave that way wasn't it.

We don't know he actually did anything though, he was accused of stealing a poster. NK courts are not exactly the bastions of justice, it is very unlikely that he got a fair trial. He probably had no way of proving it if he was innocent.

Jesus, and there was me with my passport at the ready until some randomer on Mumsnet showed me the truth about NK.

Always thought me and Kim would get along like a house on fire too

Thanks for the public warning op, I reckon you've saved a lot of lives with this post.

What an oddly uninformed thread!
North Korea is really not chasing the tourist dollar

You just prompted me to search the country on AirBnB. Guess what...?

it's unclear whether Warmbier actually committed the crime he was convicted of. The CCTV 'proof' just shows a dark figure, and his tearful public confession was obviously scripted and coerced

Maybe he was just unlucky. I don't know why anyone would voluntarily go there though, knowing what it's like.

No shit Sherlock.

I'm surprised at the amount of sarcasm on this thread. I was actually being very serious. People especially younger adults do actually want to travel to NK as they are fascinated by their ways of life. The fact there are tours shows that it's a very interesting country.