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.

Evolution and survival of the fittest (or least stupid).

If you need to be advised to stay away...

if you are judging countries based on how they treat people they don't agree with for whatever reason, you should also probably take off large parts of the Middle East, Africa and swathes of Asia too then.

Maybe even some of South and Central America.

Some of the more remote areas of Eastern Europe and Russia aren't that tolerant of a lot of people either, and I guess you could count a fair few areas of Western Europe as no-goes depending on how they are dealing with refugees too.

Guess it's Bridlington for you this year. Although I have heard that Yorkshire can be a bit off with outsiders too...

Oh no, me and hubs have got a villa booked there for the school holidays. Kids will be so disappointed

Why not go to South Korea instead and enjoy yourself!

Seoul, Busan, Jeju Island, Gyeonju - all great places to visit and there's plenty of culture old and new, great food and all the soju you can drink and an agreeable climate in Spring and Autumn.

OP, just genuinely out of curiosity, have you never heard of NK before your read this piece of article? Do you know nothing about it WRT its policies, how it's run, what constitutes a tour there, the nature of their tours etc?

Owwww! but the kids are really looking forward to it. I guess we could skip NK and head straight to ISIS controlled Syria.

I wouldn't be in a rush to visit UAE either www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/united-arab-emirates-revealing-the-dark-face-of-the-gulf-state-where-human-rights-abuses-are-a-daily-a6683741.html.

OP, it's your sudden understanding of what NK actually is, that's surprising us all.

Fine if you didn't know, but we all did. Thanks for the info though.

Well, and? Some people like jumping out of planes. Some people like throwing themselves off cliffs. People want to go out of curiosity, risk-seeking, excitement, desire to understand. The vast majority of them will never get to go anyway, those who do have a very high chance of returning perfectly unharmed, and longer term this kind of intercultural commerce is probably what will undermine the regressive regime and lift the suffering of the millions of North Koreans who don't have any choice about being there. (Oh yeah, remember them?)

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

Not true, actually. North Korea are very keen to get more tourists going there so they can get more money and pretend like they are a normal country to the outside world.

It's getting more and more popular to go there, I know at least three people who've been.

It is a deeply unethical thing to do, in my opinion. Just because it's interesting (and my husband is Korean, so I am very interested in it) doesn't mean we should do it.

And I don't for a second believe that guy stole the poster, it was a show trial to try to prove something to the USA.

Unadon I am Very well educated on NK. I think a few of you need to be a bit more mature about this. It seems like a big joke to you all.

Oh damn it, I was about to book a Thomas Cook package holiday there.

OP have the young people you know who want to go actually researched the practicalities? It's not as simple as just travelling to North Korea. They don't give out Visas freely as they don't want may westerners seeing what goes on.

fatherbenny Yeah I do think it is hilarious when people talk about the human rights abuses in NK but then merrily skip off to Dubai.

Well, not, hilarious like, but ironic.

Marmite it's not a big joke, it's awful that he died but it is in no way surprising.

Its quite a big tourist destination for the Chinese apparently, but personally I wouldn't consider unstable nuclear superpower for 'Shells Hen Do 2017'

'this kind of intercultural commerce is probably what will undermine the regressive regime and lift the suffering of the millions of North Koreans'

Or it will support the nuclear ambitions of Kin Jong Un and we'll all get blown up.

Am slightly baffled by some of the responses. I have previously thought about going, as part of a tour of that region of rhe world. I've changed my mind (not based on this thread, though).

No it's not a bustling tourist destination, but there are tours offered. I know someone who has done it previously, and others who have considered it.

fatherbenny Yeah I do think it is hilarious when people talk about the human rights abuses in NK but then merrily skip off to Dubai

Because they are totally the same thing?

It's not funny.

Op, how exactly are you going to do this? Camp out at airports and speak to travellers in person? Radio broadcast? What credibility do you have that will make the people listen to you?
And you're surprised by the sarcasm

live The situations are not funny.

People's reactions to them are though.

I am Very well educated on NK

You very clearly are not.

I actually think folk shouldn't visit about half the world.

I certainly wouldn't spend my money going to anywhere like that.

I suspect I'm never really going to travel

God the OP is getting a bit of a pasting.

People DO go to NK on tours. It is getting increasingly pooular and people unfortunately act like idiotswhen they are there because they thing the whole thing is a huge fucking joke. Perhaps the OP could have been worded better but it is an interesting and valid topic of discussion.

Pirates yes I am surprised by the sarcasm. No I am not going to camp out at airports to stop people that is quite ridiculous to suggest. I am probably more educated on NK as a country than many of you on this thread and I can assure you it is a popular destination for tourists. They deserve not a single dollar more from us!

Op didn't ask for a discussion. S/he asked if s/he would be unreasonable to advise people. I asked how... Do crack on op and let us know how you're doing it.