Welcome to North Korea!

OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO FOR EATS GREETINGS FROM Since tours are overseen by the government, there is no such thing as independent wandering as a foreign visitor. Tourists, whether single or with groups, must be accompanied by guides at all times and only go on closely monitored tours. Meals are typically provided as apart of tour packages. However, due to the country's efforts to mask its national food shortages, the tourists are escorted to restaurants that tend to consist of carefully staged visits controlled by local authorities. NORTH KOREA! FOR SIGHTS NATIONAL LIBRARY OF NORTH KOREA PYONGYANG As a compulsory part of your tour, the country's capital and largest city is literally a must-see. It is here that you will find the majority of the sights, which are comprised primarily of monuments and statues dedicated to the late North Korean founder Kim Il-Sung. (also commonly referred to as the "Grand People's Study House") Built in under two years and one of the capital's most enduring symbols, it holds over 30 million books and houses 600 rooms in total. A feature unique to this national library is its remote-controlled delivery service that carts books to readers from the closed stacks. MANSUDAE GRAND MONUMENT USS PUEBL0 Upon arrival at the Korean Revolutionary Museum, visitors are met with this grand 65-feet tall bronze statue of the "Great Leader", Kim Il-Sung. Tour groups are expected to purchase flowers and lay them at the feet of the statue and bow in accordance with customs. The USS Pueblo is an American espionage ship captured in the 1968 by the DPRK military with assertions that the vessel trespassed into territorial waters. It's currently the only U.S. Navy ship being held captive in a foreign country. For more than half a century, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea-otherwise known as North Korea or the DPRK-has successfully wrapped itself in an impenetrable fortress of armed checkpoints and barbed wire. In an effort to bolster its dismal economy, however, the country has more recently eased its travel restrictions and edged open its gates to curious travelers. What to expect in such a secretive destination? THE JUCHE TOWER Named after Kim Il-Sung's guiding philosophy of self-reliance and defense, this 560-foot tower was built to commemorate the late leader's 70th birthday. A total of 25,550 granite blocks-representing each day of his life-makes up the body of tower's structure. MANGYONGDAE CHILDREN'S PALACE Part of the standard travel package to North Korea, visitors have to make a stop at the Children's Palace, an ostentatious building where children perform song and dance numbers in honor of Kim Il-Sung and his son, Kim Jong-Il. TOURISTS FROM THE WEST Although there are no official tourism figures released to the public... AN ESTIMATED U.S. NON-U.S. 1,500 WESTERN TOURISTS WHO'S NOT ALLOWED IN? DOLLARS AND SENSE PLAYING BY THE RULES TOURISTS WESTERNERS VISIT NORTH KOREA EVERY YEAR. In 2009, Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based tour company Exchange rate: Although almost anyone with a valid visa is now granted access to tour the country any time of the year, the following are routinely denied entrance: Some Things Not Allowed During Your Trip specializing in North Korean trips, took just 282 U.S. tourists to North Korea. This is compared to the 700 to 800 non-U.S. Westerners. $1 US DOLLAR = 143 KPW %3D Taking photos of soldiers, check points and other unauthorized images. (North Korean Won) 1 YEAR JOURNALISTS Minimum price of a 5-day North Korean tour package: EXIT) Leaving the hotel without your guide's permission. BUT LESS THAN 2,500 U.S. CITIZENS ARIRANG FESTIVAL MASS GAMES APPROXIMATELY $1,620 SOUTH KOREANS The Arirang Festival Mass Games are held in the Rungrado May Day Stadium in North Korea The reported cost of a local bottle of Taedonggang beer: Insults directed at Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, Juche or the North Korean government in any form. #$%a! every year, and is one of the major reasons tourism was recently opened up to all Western foreigners. The elaborate gymnastics and art festival, which celebrates the birthday of Kim Il-Sung, kicks off in April and lasts for two HAVE VISITED NORTH KOREA SINCE 1953. $0.60 Since North Korea doesn't grant locals access to the Internet, you would have to file for permission if you want to browse the web. Even then, the content of what months. A COLLABORATION BETWEEN GOOD AND COLUMN FIVE you look at online is likely to be closely monitored. 58 YEARS SOURCES: TripBase.com, CNNGO.com,KoryoGroup.com, BBC.co.uk, World TravelGuide.com, "North Korea: The Bradt Guide", Robert Willoughby. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_Korea-Pyongyang-Mangyongdae_Childrens_Palace-02.jpg, flickr.com/photos/29075182@N08/5109526401, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_people%27s_study_house.jpg, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_Korea-Pyongyang-Grand_People%27s_Study_House-01.jpg. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gijeong-ri_Flag.jpg, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gijeong-ri_Flag.jpg, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juche_Tower.jpg.commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juche_Tower.jpg. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MetroPyongyang.jpg, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oprk_pyongyang mansu kim_sculpture_05.jpg, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arirang Mass_Games, Pyongyang. North_Korea.jpg