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Anyone ever been to North Korea?

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O

onlyindreams

Banned
KoreanBarbecue said:
I would absolutely love to go there.

But...as a US citizen I can't. And, as someone born in South Korea, I doubly-can't. They might as well just send me straight to jail if I ever set foot in that country.
Click to expand...

The US citizen thing itself wouldn't stop you, but yeah being born in SK would probably be too much.
 
B

blackflag

Member
I've been in the DMZ and at the neutral meeting site. So technically yes, but not really.

NK is creepy as hell. They have a whole fake town set up near the DMZ that you can see from the South side. They trying to make it look like a nice place to live but really no one lives there. It is just fake. They also blast propaganda over loud speakers to the S. Korea side all day long.
 
C

ChiTownBuffalo

Either I made up lies about the Boston Bomber or I fell for someone else's crap. Either way, I have absolutely no credibility and you should never pay any attention to anything I say, no matter what the context. Perm me if I claim to be an insider
onlyindreams said:
The US citizen thing itself wouldn't stop you, but yeah being born in SK would probably be too much.
Click to expand...

Hence the freak out at the DMZ.

"You are in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Native Koreans are not allowed into the DPRK by law and as part of this tour."

*raises hand*

"Yes, sir? Do you have a question."

"Yo, I was born in Seoul."

*Pause while everyone has a mindbomb explode* (There are alos NK soldiers who look into the room during the tour."

"Sir, get over into the Republic of Korea right now."

And then the tour stopped and he had to call someone, and that's when I was kicked out of the tour.

They did refund me.
 
C

ConfusingJazz

Member
ChiTownBuffalo said:
Hence the freak out at the DMZ.

"You are in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Native Koreans are not allowed into the DPRK by law and as part of this tour."

*raises hand*

"Yes, sir? Do you have a question."

"Yo, I was born in Seoul."

*Pause while everyone has a mindbomb explode* (There are alos NK soldiers who look into the room during the tour."

"Sir, get over into the Republic of Korea right now."

And then the tour stopped and he had to call someone, and that's when I was kicked out of the tour.

They did refund me.
Click to expand...

And that's how close we were to the Second Korean War.
 
D

Dunan

Member
@ScotchEggz and Doitlive - I'll have to check out those books after I get back. So far all I've read is Guy Delisle's "Pyongyang" and the stuff in tour books like Lonely Planet. We weren't even 100% sure we were going until about two weeks ago; a huge amount of legwork is involved even when you're using a tour group. Both NK (obviously) and China require visas; China's cost 15,000 yen ($195! but it's multiple so I might go back later in the year).
 
bengraven

bengraven

Member
ChiTownBuffalo said:
Hence the freak out at the DMZ.

"You are in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Native Koreans are not allowed into the DPRK by law and as part of this tour."

*raises hand*

"Yes, sir? Do you have a question."

"Yo, I was born in Seoul."

*Pause while everyone has a mindbomb explode* (There are alos NK soldiers who look into the room during the tour."

"Sir, get over into the Republic of Korea right now."

And then the tour stopped and he had to call someone, and that's when I was kicked out of the tour.

They did refund me.
Click to expand...

Was the tour guide NK or American?
 
M

Majine

Banned
For those who enjoyed Vice Guide, there is a newer documentary with the same guy where he goes hunting for NK labor camps in Siberia.
 
W

williamsan

Member
ChiTownBuffalo said:
*raises hand*

"Yes, sir? Do you have a question."

"Yo, I was born in Seoul."

*Pause while everyone has a mindbomb explode* (There are alos NK soldiers who look into the room during the tour."

"Sir, get over into the Republic of Korea right now."

And then the tour stopped and he had to call someone, and that's when I was kicked out of the tour.

They did refund me.
Click to expand...

What? I've always wanted to go to North Korea, but I'm like you, born in Seoul but U.S. citizen. This is news to me. Damn.

Or, I could just not tell them I was born in SK hahaha
 
K

K.Sabot

Member
williamsan said:
Or, I could just not tell them I was born in SK hahaha
Click to expand...

hahaha
north-korea-prison-camp.jpg
 
bengraven

bengraven

Member
There's a good documentary on Netflix by Nat Geo and I was just reminded of one scene:

When SK and US soldiers open the door into NK to pass messages, they have to go in pairs. One opens the door and passes the message and the other stands behind him, holding his hand. They do this so that NK doesn't pull them through because they would be fucked.
 
C

ChiTownBuffalo

Either I made up lies about the Boston Bomber or I fell for someone else's crap. Either way, I have absolutely no credibility and you should never pay any attention to anything I say, no matter what the context. Perm me if I claim to be an insider
bengraven said:
Was the tour guide NK or American?
Click to expand...

American.

ROK citiznes need special permission to go to the DMZ. Unless they are a solider serving in the military, natch.
 
J

JCtheMC

Member
Come back and report!

I intended on going this year, but after reading some books and that Vice doc i decided against it... Other places in the region are higher on my "must see" list.
 
L

lunarworks

Member
Take a pic of the NeoGAF logo somewhere cool.

Dunan said:
The NK won is dirt cheap but we won't be benefiting; foreigners have to pay in euro, and at euroland-standard prices, if not more. The tour itself is costing more than E200 per person per day!
Click to expand...

They use Euros now? I was under the impression they had "special" currency just for foreigners.
 
M

Magni

Member
Have fun! I'm planning a trip myself just before graduation within the next two years. Don't know if I should use my French or American passport...
 
T

TheNatural

My Member!
I've watched a couple of documentaries about it, just watched the Vice Guide one, and it seems interesting. They seem to do the same routine though. Tourist goes into giant empty hotels and restaurants. They take you to see where the evil US spy ship is they bravely captured. DMZ from their side, drive to where all the great "gifts" Kim Jong Ill got, see their genius schoolchildren, their arena practice event, and so on.

It would be nice to say you've been there but it doesn't look that interesting.
 
C

ChiTownBuffalo

Either I made up lies about the Boston Bomber or I fell for someone else's crap. Either way, I have absolutely no credibility and you should never pay any attention to anything I say, no matter what the context. Perm me if I claim to be an insider
I will say this about NK.

The things they would do to K-Pop Gaf.
 
K

Kenshin001

Member
blackflag said:
I've been in the DMZ and at the neutral meeting site. So technically yes, but not really.

NK is creepy as hell. They have a whole fake town set up near the DMZ that you can see from the South side. They trying to make it look like a nice place to live but really no one lives there. It is just fake. They also blast propaganda over loud speakers to the S. Korea side all day long.
Click to expand...

Same here, Panmunjom. We crossed over the line in the blue hut so technically I've been in NK. From the observation deck they were videoing us while we were taking pictures of them, pretty odd experience.
 
S

Spiffy_1st

Member
Going to North Korea is on my bucket list, if I've got enough time I'll try to start a revolution too by showing them the western video games they've been missing out on.
 
V

verbum

Member
I'd like to see their coal and wood fired army trucks. Otherwise it would be like going to a penitentiary on a tour. Seems like a grey depressing place.
The army manufactures meth and heroin to help pay the bills. So don't take any army camp tours, they might get you strung out and turn you into a Manchurian candidate.
 
Kiraly

Kiraly

Member
Is there even crime in North Korea? I mean the 'smaller' stuff like being mugged and beatings in the streets.
 
K

Kentpaul

When keepin it real goes wrong. Very, very wrong.
I wouldn't go to a boring country like that. I like my holidays full of nightclubs and wild British people repping our binge drinking culture.
 
A

Al-ibn Kermit

Junior Member
blackflag said:
NK is creepy as hell. They have a whole fake town set up near the DMZ that you can see from the South side. They trying to make it look like a nice place to live but really no one lives there. It is just fake. They also blast propaganda over loud speakers to the S. Korea side all day long.
Click to expand...

Both sides do that. It's pretty awesome actually.

About a year ago, North Korea saw that South Korea was doing military exercises close to the border and so they shot some artillery onto the South Korean Yeonpyeong island. It was just an excuse to get them riled up and get some attention I'm guessing, but five SK civilians were killed in the bombardment.

This escalated tensions, and South Korea fired back by setting up enormous loudspeakers on the DMZ blasting K-pop. Yes, K-pop.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1993376,00.html

Eventually, NK promised to destroy any speakers that were set up and so SK took them down.
 
Meus Renaissance

Meus Renaissance

Member
Wildesy said:
I spent 9 days in North Korea, AMA
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. Some amazing photographs and quotes there

At one point our guide asked us which was stronger, South or North Korea. I was a bit taken aback by this and tried to answer as diplomatically as possible. Basically I told her that the culture in the north was very strong, and the south is very western by comparison. I told her the south was very advanced technologically and told her about the internet, Wikipedia etc.
She asked who is Wikipedia written by and what does it say about the North? I told her it was written by people all over the world and that it said both good and bad things about North Korea, just like it does for every country. Finally I told her that if the two countries were to resume fighting, It would be a very bloody war and that I hoped that would never happen. She didn't appear to be offended by any of this.​
 
P

Pand

Member
I've been contemplating to go there myself, but I really don't want to give the North Korean government any money. I hate the thought of funding a dictatorship.

That's not a condemnation of your trip, by the way. I hope you have a great (or at least interesting) time.
 
C

ChiTownBuffalo

Either I made up lies about the Boston Bomber or I fell for someone else's crap. Either way, I have absolutely no credibility and you should never pay any attention to anything I say, no matter what the context. Perm me if I claim to be an insider
I was talking to me cousin last night about the DMZ, since he served there in the ROK Army. He said it was like JSA when you go out on patrol. You see other DPRK patrols as well, and it wasn't uncommon to share cigarettes and do a small food exchange. He also said it wasn't uncommon to sometimes trade a little harassing small arms fire.
 
S

sohois

Member
I've not been myself, but I'm pretty sure some people i know in my city have been before. I live very close to the NK border with China so its pretty easy for people living here, plus most of the foreigners are Canadian and British, which makes it much easier than being American. Even for people going in by train over the Chinese border the cost is apparently very great. Don't expect to eat anything that really tastes like food, its mostly just kind of mush so I've heard.

edit: also check out the wikitravel guide here: http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea
 
D

Dunan

Member
sohois said:
I've not been myself, but I'm pretty sure some people i know in my city have been before. I live very close to the NK border with China so its pretty easy for people living here, plus most of the foreigners are Canadian and British, which makes it much easier than being American. Even for people going in by train over the Chinese border the cost is apparently very great. Don't expect to eat anything that really tastes like food, its mostly just kind of mush so I've heard.

edit: also check out the wikitravel guide here: http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea
Click to expand...

What's it like linving in China? I'm actually almost as excited about finally getting to see mainland China as I am about NK!

@onlyindreams - Koryo is the tour company we're going with. Their tours are pretty standardized and just about everybody goes to see the same stuff. It's the interactions with the people and the NK guides that should be really fascinating.

@Redblaster - In fact I voted for Perot. I felt like I owed him after supporting him in '92 but not being old enough to vote. ^^;

I've packed up some souvenirs to give to people; baseball caps, a Disney bag, some American snacks. Anyone have any other ideas on what North Koreans might like to have as gifts from the "free world"? Nothing expensive enough to create resentment, of course; smaller stuff is better.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Willkiller said:
No idea where else to post this.

Bear in mind these are 100% unconfirmed rumours at the minute, solely based through twitter and some international news agencys.

Apparently Kim Jong-Un has been assassinated today during a visit to Beijing.

Again, 100% unconfirmed atm. EDIT: Italy's RAI are reporting it... http://www.rainews24.rai.it/it/news.php?newsid=161534
Click to expand...
Interesting.

I'd like to see more confirmation one way or another before buying into it, though.
 
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