Overview

North Korea, located in East Asia, is also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Pyongyang is the largest city and capital of North Korea. It is a socialist, one party state built upon the ideology of Kim II-Sung, the former leader of the North Korean nation. The current leader is his son, Kim Jong II. Other socialist states that maintain strong relations with North Korea are Myanmar, Cambodia, China, and Russia. The state occupies the northern area of Korean Peninsula, stretching to about 46,541 square miles.The neighbors include Russia and China to the North and South Korea to the south. It has a temperate climate with very cold, long winters and short summers with a rainy season.

Activities & Attraction

You can visit the tower of the Juche Idea, the statue of Chollima, and the Mansudae Grand Monument, a vast rendering of the Great Leader in bronze in Pyongyang. You can visit the temples, where more than 20,000 monks dwell and worship Buddha. Some of the temples allow visitors to stay in these temples. Military museums are also worth visiting where the state military proudly exhibit its prowess. Most of the sites have a lot of propaganda, such as the display at the site of the USS Pueblo, which is a warship that was captured by the North Korean military in 1968. If you are granted permission to visit North Korea, you will be carefully monitored due to security reasons in a military state. You have to be very cautious that you follow the regulations and laws for the visitors, demarcated by the government of North Korea. Paekdusan or Mount Paekdu is in the Chinese-Korean border in the north eastern part of the country. It is the highest mountain in the country and has a vast crater lake in the centre. This mountain is accessible only from late June to mid-September. The rest of the time the weather is rough and stormy.

Lodging

Most of the hotels and accommodations in North Korea are state run. When you are granted visiting permission, you are told where to stay. Most of the tourist accessible options are located in Pyongyang. Some of the hotels in Pyongyang include Pthonggang Hotel, Koryo Hotel, Yanggakdo International Hotel, and Ryanggang Hotel.

Transportation

Busses and trams have a substantial network throughout the city, but are overcrowded and slow. The metro is fast and convenient, but the network is limited. You can also hire taxis to travel around the country.If you wish to travel to travel to Mount Paekdu, you should hire charter planes or taxis. You are free to use the transport system in North Korea, but your guides must be there with you.