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.

I'm guessing you're American because you talk about dollars. Perhaps then you can help me understand why so many Americans go to NK? I find it odd that Americans aren't known for being adventurous travellers.Estimates say between 5% and 10% of Americans travel internationally. Yet, there seem to be more Americans detained in NK than other nationalities. Is it that, being inexperienced travellers, they don't assess the risk correctly? Because, if that is the case, then your OP probably does have a point. But since most MNers aren't American, we're less likely to see NK as a tourist destination anyway.

There is a video of a girl who's family escaped north Korea when she was younger, she talks about how dying trying to escape was better than living within the regime. She talks about how her mother allowed herself to be raped to stop the same fate happening to her children, it's horrific to hear about what her family went through to gain freedom. I don't believe north Korea is a horrible place because America or the daily mail say so i believe its a horrible place because of the testimonies of people who have escaped, because of the amount of people who have starved to death because of an oppressive regime etc. Do I think America is great No! But it is in NO way comparable to the atrocities that happen daily in north Korea.

Yes it may not be true that he did that. But it is the kind of thing I can imagine someone doing thinking it is no big deal.

Koala People comparing Bali to North Korea and other absolute ridiculousness.

From the perspective of "how much suffering overall has this country/regime caused" interesting comparisons of various places can be made. But from a personal safety POV it's completely different, and depends on who you are... we seem to be confusing the two.

I met someone who had been to North Korea - he'd gone in 2011/12. It did sound interesting - even though everything was really restricted, it was so "fake" that in itself spoke volumes about what they were not allowed to see.

bratsy So isn't that OP's point? That you should think very carefully before going to NK and make sure you understand the implications of anything you do there?

A lot of people seem to be treatijg it as a fun little jolly these days. Really fucked up and quite disturbing.

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

I'm sure you are right about this but sometimes it's hard to know where to draw the line. Do you think people should visit Venezuela at the moment?
I would've liked to have gone to the GDR before the wall came down as I would've found it interesting but should anyone have visited that country which had such a poor human rights record?

People need to understand that they are going to a place where citizens who make the wrong eye movement or fail to show sufficient enthusiasm for dear leader are condemned to concentration camps along with three generations of their family. The guides will be under particular scrutiny because of their contact with outsiders.

Understand where you're going and what's expected, be careful not to cause trouble for the guides and you'll be fine. Best not to go if you're American due to the political situation but most of us arent American so irrelevant.

Who on earth would want to go to North Korea anyway? Well, except for one or two of our Jurassic-Labour MPs, maybe...

Anyone wanting to experience the culture or learn the language can go to South Korea.

i'd go

id be aware of all rules and regulations constantly but it would be a different experience for sure

not being american would probably aid my safety too

Check out the Lonely Planet entry for North Korea. It is very much presented as a viable travel option, and feels quite light on the earnings.

I didn't even know we were allowed in ?

www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/oct/08/north-korean-tourism-ethics

These photos are interesting - part 1, part 2. Interesting blog too.

So tell us, OP when exactly did your passion... start?

I formed the impression OP was either Korean or American.

Fascinated perhaps from the afar but the whole place is a human zoo prison. Voyeuristic to go and visit. I dread to think what happened to to that poor boy it's so sinister.

There are 2 different issues:

1. Not visiting a country because you disapprove of the policy of its leaders

That's a matter of personal morality

2. Not visiting because those leaders may order you to be grabbed any time they want to make a gesture at your government, because they can order your conviction on any trumped up charge, sentence you to 20 years or life imprisonment, where their prisons are places of torture and starvation.

That's a matter of personal safety

more available than you think

www.regent-holidays.co.uk/country/north-korea-holiday-collection/

Everything,

Thanks for link to those photos. You're right: they're very interesting. Some of them are truly chilling.

Horrors of the political regime aside, the very sight or mention of Kim Jong-un/ "Dear Respected" sends my blood pressure rocketing:
millions in utter poverty/ malnourished and deprived of proper access to basic healthcare...whilst the bloody hypocritical narcissist (and his elite cronies) flaunts his excessive luxury lifestyle, and claims to worry about his subjects' welfare.

Righto, mate.
Well, what say you dig into some of your estimated $5 billion personal inheritance fortune, for starters?
Show some solidarity and compassion, even?

[source: Business Insider ]

[source: Unicef ]

Don't think I'd last too long in the "Democratic" People's Republic: sarcasm is officially banned

I've been to the DMZ when I was in South Korea. The forests have all been cut down. At the border it changes from forest to desert just like that. It's very sad. The DMZ is fascinating from a wildlife point of view as a huge area is basically untouched. I would be interested to go, but wouldn't because of the ethics of it.

The trips to the DMZ are all carefully managed and there is a dress code so NK can't take photos of you in ripped jeans and use them for propaganda purposes to show their citizens that the South Koreans are poor and in ripped clothes. I hadn't thought about SK being engaged in the propaganda war before, so it was an eye opener.

basket If you search for Asian Boss on youtube, he has a lot of videos featuring NK refugees. One person said that they assumed all the cars they could see when they came to SK were just for show, and they were quite shocked to learn that everyone had a car.

There are some very sad stories in those interviews, and some funny ones too.

I would definitely recommend checking them out.

That sounds very interesting, Big. I did meet one NK refugee, who told me she had been most shocked that there were electric street lights after dark.

I didn't get to see as much of Korea as I would have liked as I was there for work, but my Korean colleagues were excellent guides and if I'd been on holiday I wouldn't have had a hope with reading Korean so I wouldn't have done as much as I did.

But it isn't a popular destination for tourists. About 5000 a year from the west, which is expected to reduce after Warmbier's death. That's tiny. It's the least popular tourist destination in the world. Unless this post is targeted at Chinese tourists, which is a slightly bigger market but also dropping. What makes you think it's a popular destination?

I went to North Korea about 12 years ago. It was a really interesting and a unique experience. I think there are plenty more places that are more dangerous.

dangerous in a different way perhaps but the thing in NK is - once your in their clutches you cant really escape. They have no morals or mercy.

Anyone who has read books about it will understand.

"I can assure you it is a popular destination for tourists"

I disagree with this and agree with pp: they issue about 5000 tourist visas for westerners per year. That's a tiny amount and doesn't fit the idea of popular destination.

Tourism from China is down as well.