Gadling

Vagabond Tales: Tunneling beneath the 'scariest place on Earth'

Kyle Ellison — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: History, Learning, Stories, Asia, North Korea, South Korea

This may come as a shocker, but traveling to North Korea as a tourist isn't exactly easy. In a country that tops the paranoia charts when it comes to dealing with "outsiders," the tourist administration in Pyongyang isn't real cool with throngs of camera-toting tourists soiling the ultra-pure North Korean populace with their strange and fetid ideals. Better to simply keep them out.

Sure, there are still ways of traveling to North Korea as a tourist, but lets just say it's not the type of trip where you get to put your two cents in on the itinerary. Or, for that matter, what you can pack, whom you can speak to or what you can photograph.

So have I actually been to North Korea? Technically, no, I haven't.

Wait. Did you just say that you technically haven't been to North Korea? That doesn't make any sense.

Although it may be difficult to actually travel inside of North Korea, there are various opportunities for you to actually travel beneath it.

C'mon. How do you travel beneath a country? You've had one too many shots of soju again haven't you?

When the Korean War came to a politically awkward stalemate in 1953, troops on both sides were required to pull back 2,200 yards from the initial Military Demarcation Line, thereby creating a 2.5 mile wide stretch of no man's land known today as the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone).

This, however, did not stop the wily North Koreans from still trying to find a way to win the war and stage an all-out ground attack on the South Korean capital of Seoul. If they couldn't send soldiers across the DMZ any longer, then by golly they were going to go under it.

And go under it they did. And now, strangely enough, so can you.

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Vagabond Tales: Tunneling beneath the 'scariest place on Earth' originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Syria memories: grieving for a dictator

Sean McLachlan — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Learning, Asia, Europe, North Korea, Syria, Budget Travel, News

The death of North Korea's Kim Jong-il has led to some very strange television--the Dear Leader lying in state, throngs of North Koreans weeping uncontrollably, even rumors of miracles such as grieving birds.

The images coming out of North Korea led to a discussion with some of my Facebook friends over whether or not the outpouring of grief was genuine or staged. I lean towards staged, since the only news we're getting is from the state media, which has tried to raise Kim Jong-il and his father Kim Il-sung to the status of demigods. Then again, in the cloistered lives the North Koreans live, perhaps they do feel a sense of loss. Even the BBC discussed the issue and came to the conclusion that we can't know for sure.

The whole thing made me remember my trip to Syria back in 1994. Pictures of Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad and his family were everywhere--in shops, on the streets, in the front rooms of private homes--as you can see in this photo of what looks like a hotel lobby with portraits of Hafez and his son Bashar, courtesy flickr user Bombardier. Bashar now rules Syria (perhaps not for long) but it was his older brother Bassel who was supposed to take over. When I was there it was common to see photos of Bassel and Hafez side by side, and most Syrians assumed he'd rule Syria one day.

In Syria in those days, if you kept your nose clean the authorities generally left you alone. If you stood up against the government, they leveled your city. So Syrians toted the line in public. In private, however, many quietly told me how much they hated the regime. One admitted he'd never say such things to a fellow Syrian for fear that he may be a member of the secret police. In Syria, there are lots of secret police.

Then, on 22 January 1994, Bassel died in a car accident. I'll never forget the grim military music that played on the state radio and television for several days afterwards, and the constant coverage the state media gave to his life and unexpected death. As soon as the news broke that first day I went out onto the streets of Damascus. Shops were closed and there were far more soldiers and police on the streets than usual. A rally was already forming in one of the main squares.

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Syria memories: grieving for a dictator originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photos of Mangyongdae Funfair

Elizabeth Seward — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Photos, Asia, North Korea, Theme Parks

The Mangyongdae Funfair is a North Korean amusement park known for its rusting rides and harnesses that don't quite lock. For North Koreans, it's an amusement park the same as Disney World is an amusement park for Americans. Being that there are only roughly 1,500 Western tourists that travel to North Korea each year (compounded by the fact that each traveler must have a guide with him or her at all times), few Western travelers ever experience the Mangyongdae Funfair, and so there are few photos of the rickety, but still-working amusement park surfacing online--at least within the online destinations I frequent. A recent post on Kuriositas.com, however, displayed some great photos of the park. After viewing the photos, I was moved to share that link, as well as a couple other good ones, with you.

And so, here they are, amuse yourselves with photos of this famed destination park.

http://www.kuriositas.com/2011/10/mangyongdae-last-funfair-in-north-korea.html

http://www.lindsayfincher.com/north-korea-cheating-death-at-the-mangyongdae-fun-fair-the-disneyland-of-pyongyang.html

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=77015846@N00&q=fun%20fair

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Photos of Mangyongdae Funfair originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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10 unusual foods from around the world

Jessica Festa — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Food and Drink, Asia, Europe, North America, China, North Korea, Taiwan, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, Budget Travel, Central America, Hong Kong

Who doesn't love trying new and exotic foods when traveling? Maybe some spicy curries in India, a selection of savory tapas in Spain, or some authentic...Pig's Blood Cake? Check out this list of 10 unusual foods from around the world and see if your perspective on trying international cuisine doesn't change.

Fried Tarantulas, Cambodia

According to Victoria Brewood at Bootsnall, you can find this delicacy in the streets of Sukon, Cambodia, fried whole with their legs, fangs, and all. Apparently, they taste great pan-fried with a pinch of garlic and salt and have a crispy outside and a gooey inside.

Pig's Blood Cake, Taiwan

This unique dish is prepared with sticky rice and hot pig's blood. When the mixture becomes solid it is coated with peanut powder and cilantro then formed into a flat cake and sliced. This meal is usually dipped in various sauces such as chili sauce, hot sauce, or soy sauce.

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10 unusual foods from around the world originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ghostscrapers - Top ten post-apocalyptic abandoned skyscrapers

Justin Delaney — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Photos, Stories, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, North Korea, Thailand, Poland, United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Hotels and Accommodations, Video, Central America

When city plans exceed reality, or the money dries up, or people simply leave in a mass exodus, skyscrapers vacate and slowly decay. High winds thrash through broken windows. Rats live undisturbed amongst decades old rubble. Stairways lead to doors that may never open again. The ghost of ambition's past arrives in the present like a howling specter, creating eyesores, dangerous conditions, and free housing for opportunistic urban survivalists.

These abandoned skyscrapers range from forsaken structures aborted long before their doors opened to icons from a bygone era. While a slumper like Detroit has its fair share of empty giants, even cities with tiger cub economic growth like Bangkok are not immune to the plague of creepy abandoned high-rises. South America brings vertical favelas to the list, and Poland has a tower named after a pop-culture villain. And even San Francisco, a city with a high recreational scooter to human ratio and droves of individuals who see the world just beyond the tip of their nose, has its very own abandoned skyscraper.

From North Korea to Venezuela, these structures differ in their stories and circumstance, but each is a fine glimpse at post-apocalyptic urban decay.

Gallery: Abandoned skyscrapers from around the world

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Ghostscrapers - Top ten post-apocalyptic abandoned skyscrapers originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New North Korea tour company needs approval from the feds

Tom Johansmeyer — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, North Korea

A new company is trying to get into the North Korea tourism game. Korea Pyongyang Trading USA, based in New York, is looking to diversify out of its current business - importing Pyongyang Soju from North Korea. Founder Steve Park has his eye on Mount Kumgang, the site of a resort that involved a joint venture between South Korean companies and the North Korean government. It went sour when a South Korean tourist was shot there in 2008.

It seems like an interesting business opportunity, given how interesting the hard-to-reach company is too many travelers. And, since it's so hard to do business with the regime, competition is unlikely to be stiff. The regulatory red tape, on the other hand, is a different story.

South Korea is saying that Korea Pyongyang Trading USA will need to get permission from the U.S. government in order to get the operation off the ground. The Dong-A Ilbo reports:

Gallery: Introducing Air Koryo, North Korea's airline

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New North Korea tour company needs approval from the feds originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 07 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is the United States a booming travel market for North Korea?!

Tom Johansmeyer — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, North Korea

International relations may be strained, but that's not stopping the tourists. According to Yonhap News Agency, the number of North Koreans visiting the United States in the first half of 2011 surged more than 50 percent from the same period in 2010. The report cites data from the Department of Homeland Security, which puts the number of visitors in the first six months of the year at 139. In the first half of 2010, only 89 people visited the United States from North Korea.

Interestingly, this comes even as official contacts between the two governments fell off, not to mention a "general cooling off in bilateral relations."

Of course, the visits weren't strictly recreational. A delegation of scientists came over from North Korea in February, with an economic delegation following in March. In June, 17 martial arts folks visited three states on the east coast.

Gallery: North Korea: Straight from the Horse's Mouth

Photo by yeowatzup via Flickr

Is the United States a booming travel market for North Korea?! originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 06 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eight interesting facts about North Korea's airline

Tom Johansmeyer — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, North Korea, Airlines, Internet Tools

What do you know about Air Koryo? Probably not much. The state-run airline for North Korea, it's the only realistic way you can fly into the country, unless you have some sort of crazy commando resources at your disposal. Of course, there's a lot you have to do before booking your ticket, and getting a visa can be quite difficult for Americans and other westerners. If you do make it through the red tape though, you'll find yourself with more options than you realized.

So, ready to book your trip to Arirang and sample the beer and pizza of the most reclusive nation on the planet? Here's what you need to know about the airline that will take you there:

Gallery: Introducing Air Koryo, North Korea's airline

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Eight interesting facts about North Korea's airline originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Travel Warnings: often not as bad as they sound

Chris Owen — Mon, 16 May 2011 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, North America, South America, North Korea, Mexico, United States, Travel Health, Travel Security

The United States Department of State issues travel warnings when dangerous, long-term conditions lead to a recommendation that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to certain countries around the globe. They also issue warnings when the U.S. government's ability to assist American citizens is compromised by the closing of an embassy or consulate or a reduction of its staff. Still, seeing a country's name on the list does not necessarily mean all travel to a given country should stop.

Mexico is a good example of a country where there have been issues of concern, a travel warning has been issued, but not all travel there is unsafe. Since 2006, the Mexican government has battled drug trafficking routes and other criminal activity. Still, a lot of Americans travel to Mexico safely.

"Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day for study, tourism or business and at least one million U.S. citizens who live in Mexico" states the Department of State in their current travel warning for Mexico.

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Travel Warnings: often not as bad as they sound originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 16 May 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Strictest dress codes - 5 countries with fashion police

Justin Delaney — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Africa, Asia, Europe, Sudan, Bhutan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, France, News, Middle East

Earlier this week, the "Burqa Ban" went into effect in France. Since passing into law, several burqa draped women have already been arrested, and the symbolic law is causing an uproar among the Muslim population of France and beyond. However, France is not the only country with authoritative garment laws. Many countries possess laws that limit what citizens and visitors are allowed to wear.

According to Foreign Policy magazine, these five countries have some of the strictest dress code laws in the world. The list includes countries from three continents, though France is the lone western world inclusion. It is odd that a country known for its fashion houses and pioneering designers is also home to such an autocratic fashion law. I would expect this sort of posturing from the American South, but clothing oppression along the Champs-Élysées seems a bit misplaced.

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Strictest dress codes - 5 countries with fashion police originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Candid look inside North Korea

Justin Delaney — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Asia, North Korea, Video

In this video, Steve Gong goes into a North Korea hair salon and gets his hair cut "Pyongyang style." Like the city it is named for, Pyongyang style is a largely unchanged fashion. This metropolis on the banks of the Taedong river appears much as it did when the U.S.S.R. was its principal ally many years ago. The ghost of communist Russia hovers over Pyongyang like a specter, and in this light, North Korea is the little brother that never grew up. The stunted growth of communist ambition creates a haunting aesthetic. Massive plazas, ornate subway stations, and dear leaders born out of mountains all speak to the idiosyncrasy of North Korea and its stubbornly unique ideology.

The video provides a long glimpse inside the hermit kingdom. Unlike the Vice Guide to North Korea (my personal favorite North Korean Doc), Steve Gong provides candid HD shots void of commentary. It is like being a voyeur in the most reclusive nation on the planet. If you watch closely, you will even catch a glimpse of the hideous Ryugyong Hotel.

Candid look inside North Korea originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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North Korea resumes construction on world's most hideous hotel

Justin Delaney — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, North Korea, Hotels and Accommodations, News

North Korea is the hermit kingdom; a strange land of mass games and dear leaders trapped in a 1950's communist time warp. While they may not have modern supermarkets or PlayStation 3, North Korea does have one of the tallest hotels in the world, and it looms high above Pyongyang like a tribute to the ill advised whims of dear leader Kim Jong Il.

According to USA Today, The pyramidal Ryugyong Hotel began construction in the late nineteen-eighties and was spearheaded by Orascom - an Egyptian architectural firm. Construction of the abominable structure was halted after the fall of the Soviet Union. Without Soviet subsidies, North Korea could not afford the expensive project. Today, the 105 story building is again under construction and may cost as much as two billion U.S. dollars to complete, or 5% to 10% of estimated North Korean G.D.P. Relative to American G.D.P. terms, it would be like the United States sinking over a trillion dollars into a hotel project.

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North Korea resumes construction on world's most hideous hotel originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Travel then and now: Travel to the USSR and GDR

Meg Nesterov — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, Europe, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine

This year is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union and 21 years since the reunification of Germany. While citizens of the USSR and GDR were unable to travel abroad and restricted in domestic travel, foreign travelers were permitted under a controlled environment. In the early nineties, if you were a foreigner looking to go abroad to the Eastern Europe or Central Asia, you called your travel agent and hoped to get approved for a visa and an escorted tour. After your trip, you'd brag about the passport stamps and complain about the food. Here's a look back at travel as it was for foreigners twenty years ago and today visiting the biggies of the former Eastern Bloc: the United Socialist Soviet Republic (USSR) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

Soviet Union/USSR (now: independent states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldovia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.)

Travel then: Before 1992, most tourists were only able to enter the Soviet Union with visas and travel itineraries provided by the state travel agency, Intourist. Intourist was founded by Joseph Stalin and also managed many of the USSR's accommodations. Like North Korea today, visitors' experiences were tightly controlled, peppered with propaganda, and anything but independent, with some travelers' conversations and actions recorded and reported. Read this fascinating trip report from a Fodor's community member who visited Russia in 1984 and a Chicago Tribune story with an Intourist guide after the glasnost policy was introduced.

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Travel then and now: Travel to the USSR and GDR originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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North Korea cuts Pyongyang in half because of food shortage

Tom Johansmeyer — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, North Korea, News

Pyongyang is North Korea's showplace. It's one of the few spots in the country foreigners are allowed to see, and even then under tightly controlled circumstances. The people allowed to live in the most prestigious city in the unusual nation tend to be politically reliable, favored by the regime and, quite frankly, not fat or ugly. Well, the best address in North Korea is about to get a lot more exclusive.

According to an AFP report, the North Korean government has halved its capital's population. Food shortages drove the move. Interestingly, it wasn't just the population that got chopped - the city itself did too. The southern districts of the city were reallocated to North Hwanghae province, which touches the capital.

Half a million people had their addresses - and social status - changed as a result of this. Also, they lose the benefits associated with living in Pyongyang, a change that will save the perpetually cash-strapped regime some more money.

Gallery: North Korea: Straight from the Horse's Mouth

[photo by David Stanley via Flickr]

North Korea cuts Pyongyang in half because of food shortage originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video of the Day - Inside North Korea

Stephen Greenwood — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Festivals and Events, Blogs, Stories, Asia, North Korea, Photo of the Day, Video

North Korea is undoubtedly the most difficult country in the world to gain access to, especially if you're a journalist aiming to produce a video about the reclusive nation. For months, the travel bad boys over at VBS.tv corresponded with North Korea's representatives to arrange a guided tour of the infamous Mass Games.

After being selected as one of the only groups to cover the event, VBS Founder Shane Smith and director Eddy Moretti were taken on a journey that gets more bizzarre by the minute. From the streets of Pyongyang, to the International Friendship Museum, to deserted banquet halls - it's worth watching the entire series to get a rare look at a country that rarely exposes itself to the world.

Do you have clips from an epic investigation of your own? Found a video online that inspires you to travel? Share it with us in the comment section below and it could be our next Video of the Day!

Video of the Day - Inside North Korea originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FourSquare is everywhere ... even North Korea

Tom Johansmeyer — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, North Korea, Internet Tools

Whether you tweet or not, log into Facebook or skip it, you know that social media is everywhere. You just can't get away from it. There are references on prime-time television, news stories all over the place and special deals at stores large and small. If you think you're surrounded by this stuff, brace yourself: it's more pervasive than you realize.

As I was scanning my Twitter stream this week, I saw a tweet by social media company FourSquare, a service that allows people to "check in" at different locations, track their friends and, if they choose, share their locations with the world.

The tweet contained a bold claim, specifically, that the service had recorded check-ins in every country in the world in November ... even the most reclusive one:

With 8 check-ins in North Korea, foursquare users visited EVERY country in November! Bouvet Island, you're one of just 5 territories left...less than a minute ago via webfoursquare
foursquare

Gallery: North Korea: Straight from the Horse's Mouth

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FourSquare is everywhere ... even North Korea originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The stinking streets and subways of Seoul

Tom Johansmeyer — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Asia, North Korea, South Korea

Look, it's been a long time since I got off the 4 Line at Samgachi Station - a dozen years, in fact - but I remember it being rather clean and pleasant. The train itself was, too. Well, I guess I was wrong. I ~~now have it on good authority~~ saw on the internet that Seoul is "well known to the world as heavily polluted."

Yep, that's what you'll find in North Korean geography textbooks.

According to The Chosun Ilbo:

North Korean geography textbooks, the main source of information for students there about South Korea, distort or disparage South Korea's economic development by way of exalting the North Korean system, an academic here says.

And it doesn't stop there. The books accuse South Korea of producing goods at the behest of the United States and Japan. This is a big problem up north, because "[r]elying on others for raw materials and fuel is like leaving your economic fate in their hands." This stands in stark contrast to the North Korean "Juche" philosophy, which preaches self-reliance.

So, if you head to the "den of reactionaries," brace yourself for a real stench. But, if you're planning to go to the place the rest of us know as Seoul, you'll probably be fine.

[photo by Koshyk via Flickr]

The stinking streets and subways of Seoul originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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North Korea says South Korea "Hell-Bent" on war

Tom Johansmeyer — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, North Korea, South Korea, News

There's always a lot of tension on the Korean peninsula, but the action just got a little hotter. According to Bloomberg News, the Korea Central News Agency, which is the official mouthpiece of the North Korean regime, "reported" that South Korea "is so hell-bent on the moves to escalate the confrontation and start a war that it is recklessly behaving bereft of reason." Meanwhile, the KCNA positions North Korea as above reproach, adding that the country is "now maintaining a maximum self-possession and self- control."

The "news" from the North comes as South Korea amps up the military action with a live fire exercise in conjunction with the United States. North Korea believes that "the exercise will result in shells landing in its territorial waters," Bloomberg reports.

Gallery: North Korea: Straight from the Horse's Mouth

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North Korea says South Korea "Hell-Bent" on war originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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North Korean theme parks: communism meets amusement park fun

Joel Bullock — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, North Korea, Theme Parks

I would imagine that there are few Gadling readers that have ever wanted to visit North Korea. The communist country that recently took hostile actions towards its neighbor isn't on any top vacation lists that I know of. And, I would imagine even fewer would want to visit North Korea for its amusement parks. But, if you're a huge theme park fan like the globe trotting Stefan Zwanger, then a trip to the strange, isolationist country is right down your alley.

Wearing his signature red hat adorned with a tangle of roller coaster track, Zwanger, also known as the Theme Park Guy, ventured into North Korea. He described his trip as a "time machine journey many decades back." His trip report includes dozens of great images from Pyongyang's three parks including an image of a roller coaster with the red star of the Communist Party on it. Zwanger also encountered a Zamperla flying roller coaster at the newest park, Kaeson. Kaeson has the distinction of staying lit at night when much of the rest of the country goes dark.

Asia has some excellent theme parks, but I was surprised to see that North Korea actually has three currently in operation. I guess even an oppressive government like North Korea's must be open to amusements of some kind. The other two parks were Mangyongdae and Taesongsan. Most of the rides at these older parks look pretty neglected and the parks themselves look deserted, bleak, and devoid of a lot of color.

As I analyze the country's theme parks I don't mean to belittle or overlook the plight of its people. Theme parks are obviously way down on the list of quality of life improvements needed by the North Korean people. As a long-time theme park blogger, this is just what I do. I make observations about theme parks. See Zwanger's North Korean theme park trip report.

[Photo credits: Flickr user giladr and Theme Park Guy]

North Korean theme parks: communism meets amusement park fun originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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North Korea goes Club Med: Visit the Majon Bathing Resort

Tom Johansmeyer — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, North Korea, Luxury Travel

Are you tired of the French Riviera? Bored with St. Barths? Well, if you're looking for a new sand-filled destination, you aren't stuck with the likes of Iraq. Make your next beach resort getaway Majon. Yes, that's right: the Majon Bathing Resort in North Korea. Fortunately, you'll be on the side of the DMZ that lobbed artillery shells yesterday, and if there's a retaliation, you probably won't be alive long enough to notice anyway.

Offered by the Korea International Travel Company, Majon is "The Resort in the Suburbs of Hamhung, an Industrial City," according to the official brochure. I don't know about you, but I've already packed my Speedo and sunscreen!

This summer destination has a "sandy beach [that] spreads over 1,200 m. The width is 50 m." Sticklers for accuracy are probably getting excited already. And if your obsessive behavior stretches further, you'll be happy to know, "You can enjoy sea-bathing in safety." On the resort, you'll find 4,000 trees and "41 kinds of beautiful flowers decorat[ing] the gardens."

Is this really the same North Korea that routinely wishes the west to drown in a "sea of fire"? Majon sounds downright pleasant!

Continue reading North Korea goes Club Med: Visit the Majon Bathing Resort

North Korea goes Club Med: Visit the Majon Bathing Resort originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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