Given the chance, would you visit North Korea? (1 Viewer)

[brekker]

By no means, do I mean this question in some derogatory way. While the country itself is pretty closed, it IS possible to visit if you are willing to through some bureaucracy process and you are just willing to accept the fact that someone might accuse you of a crime against the country if you take a picture of something that you should not.
Yet, a lot of people are interested to see whether, how, if the country is really as closed as it seems and we travel to so many countries out of interest and why should NK be different? Certainly beautiful nature (if you avoid the mines, but I assume not the WHOLE COUNTRY is mined) and probably a place that is very clean, disciplined and with little petty crime.
But of course, the risks are there.
Some people say "I would never visit if they paid me" (reasonable, I assume) and the others are more braver (or stupider?) or simply more interested.
Which group are you in?

As much as I want to stay on the safe side and am the one to scream at horror protagonists WHY THE HECK ARE YOU ENTERING THAT CREEPY HOUSE, YOU DUMMY? I must admit, I´d probably visit ... though not alone.
I have read some reports from people who had been there (on a visa done by various tricks) and it is apparently depressive, interesting, fascinating and scary.

Here, some perhaps atypical pictures :)

 

[GloriousHavoc]

Yes

 

[brekker]

Yes

thank you for answering. I´m glad someone had thought about it. it seems like such an interesting country cultural-wise! just the differences in language, architecture and nature. not just the ideology thing.

 

[eclipsoul]

probably not, as for someone who talks a lot about leaving their country travelling isn't my thing in general

 

[blueberries]

I'm too scared I would be accused of sth and held hostage so I wouldn't. I'm sure it's interesting experience though.

 

[Jimimis]

Not when there’s south korea next door. I’m much more interested in throwing money at pretty men than dictators

 

[brekker]

Not when there’s south korea next door. I’m much more interested in throwing money at pretty men than dictators

you can always save some poor North Korean defector who might juuust happen to be handsome?

 

[Jimimis]

you can always save some poor North Korean defector who might juuust happen to be handsome?

Did you hear about the dude who stole a poster? I don’t wanna imagine what happens when you steal a whole person lmao

 

[brekker]

Did you hear about the dude who stole a poster? I don’t wanna imagine what happens when you steal a whole person lmao

I wouldn´t steal them! I´d offer them one thing ... freedom and then just hope that they would happen to share my love for democracy :D and weren´t sa secret agent. but where is fun in life if everything was so easy :D.

 

[Darkseid]

This thread is in no way related to your recent CLOY love I presume?

 

[brekker]

This thread is in no way related to your recent CLOY love I presume?

ahaha, yes and no. I have seen several documentaries and read about NK defectors before so I´m not that obsessed with a tv show, but sure it had spiked somehow hidden old interest :D :D, not gonna lie about that :D

 

[Michael]

I'm not interested in bringing myself into a situation that could get me in trouble for nothing.

 

[hAJIMAAAA]

i would bet that by this point i've been so opinionated about nk and especially china in the internet that there's no way that with their crazy intelligence service they don't find out and ban me so yeah that's a no from me dawg lmaooooo probably won't be allowed to enter at all.

But seriously speaking, i don't think it's worth all the effort when i know for a fact that you're not allowed to see most things that one could really be interested in and that a majority of what is seen by visitors is pre planned and often arranged by the government to appear much better and livelier than it really is. Which is hilarious because everyone still says its creepy lmaooo.

 

[brekker]

i would bet that by this point i've been so opinionated about nk and especially china in the internet that there's no way that with their crazy intelligence service they don't find out and ban me so yeah that's a no from me dawg lmaooooo probably won't be allowed to enter at all.

But seriously speaking, i don't think it's worth all the effort when i know for a fact that you're not allowed to see most things that one could really be interested in and that a majority of what is seen by visitors is pre planned and often arranged by the government to appear much better and livelier than it really is. Which is hilarious because everyone still says its creepy lmaooo.

hah, I don´t think they go in such depth considering many journalists were able to slip through their fingers :D, and to be fair, all visa-requiring countries do a backup check on their possible visitors, though the depth and areas might vary.

as for visiting, yeah I get your point :D. still some people say it depends on your guide? like obviously they fear for life, but I have heard about people getting outside of Pyongyang and seeing some small poor villages etc. they can try to cover and hide as much as they want, but people are people... still there is a beautiful Natural park in NK. I am not sure if it is open to foreigners anymore, but judging by reviews it was in early 2000s. However, yeah, I would definitely fear of taking the wrong step if I was a person who had something to lose :D.

 

[Wingfrost]

Technically I’ve been there already, when you go to the DMZ it’s the area that separates the two and you can step into the other side. But to answer your question no I would never want to visit, I was scared out of my mind when we just went to the DMZ. I’d be afraid I would do something wrong without realizing it..

 

[brekker]

Technically I’ve been there already, when you go to the DMZ it’s the area that separates the two and you can step into the other side. But to answer your question no I would never want to visit, I was scared out of my mind when we just went to the DMZ. I’d be afraid I would do something wrong without realizing it..

I think you usually get a guide who takes you around, so I don´t think that it´s that risky to do something bad. From what I have heard, if you take a picture of something you should not (there was a story about a lady taking a picture of a poor farmer), they tell you to delete it etc. But only knowing that you are constantly watched and listened to is scary enough, of course.
Still it had to be fascinating to see the two different worlds - so close and yet so far away :/. I wonder whether we will live to see the two countries united. I only wish that the people whose families were separated.
It is great that you were in Korea!!! How did you like it?

 

[SnowWhite]

I think I will give it a try

 

[Wingfrost]

I think you usually get a guide who takes you around, so I don´t think that it´s that risky to do something bad. From what I have heard, if you take a picture of something you should not (there was a story about a lady taking a picture of a poor farmer), they tell you to delete it etc. But only knowing that you are constantly watched and listened to is scary enough, of course.
Still it had to be fascinating to see the two different worlds - so close and yet so far away :/. I wonder whether we will live to see the two countries united. I only wish that the people whose families were separated.
It is great that you were in Korea!!! How did you like it?

I lived there for about four years, because of some personal reasons I really didn’t explore too much. But I did enjoy it, I’d love to go back and explore/learn more.

 

[brekker]

I lived there for about four years, because of some personal reasons I really didn’t explore too much. But I did enjoy it, I’d love to go back and explore/learn more.

that´s amazing! I really hope that you´ll get a chance and the circumstances will be better :).

 

[mysteric]

yeah, why not