Sep 17th, 2009 at 10:00AM: Well, it looks like this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be offered again this year. That's what happens, though, when you're dealing with Pyongyang – you never know what to expect. The latest news is that the Arirang Mass Games festival has been extended from the end of September to October 17, 2009, giving Koryo Tours time to schedule one more outing for western visitors.
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Pyongyang posts
North Korea extends Arirang again!
Sep 17th, 2009 at 10:00AM: Well, it looks like this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be offered again this year. That's what happens, though, when you're dealing with Pyongyang – you never know what to expect. The latest news is that the Arirang Mass Games festival has been extended from the end of September to October 17, 2009, giving Koryo Tours time to schedule one more outing for western visitors.
Like the ...Spend a weekend in Pyongyang
Aug 27th, 2009 at 2:00PM: If you didn't get a shot at the last short trip that Koryo Tours organized into North Korea, you have another chance coming. This rare breed of travel company – which brings westerners into the most isolated country on earth – is planning an excursion for September 24 – 26, which will include the sights of Pyongyang and the opportunity to witness the Arirang Mass Games spectacle. ...Pyongyang gets a "taste" of capitalism
Aug 6th, 2009 at 2:00PM: North Korea, the reclusive Communist state, is always reluctant to try something new. The government controls information tightly, as anyone who has read updates from the Korea Central News Agency can see. But, occasionally, a fissure forms in the barriers that separate the most remote country on Earth from the rest of the world. And now, the people who are slowly developing a taste for pizza and ...Pizza and Beer: North Korean health food
Jul 14th, 2009 at 8:00AM: If you visit Pyongyang, you can make a discovery that has been known in bowling alleys across the United States for decades: beer and pizza go together. This year, new approaches to both the food and the drink have been developed, and the only thing missing is the crash of pins in the background.
Back in March, North Korea celebrated its first pizzeria. It took nearly a decade, but the country ...North Korea vacation: can I take pictures?
Jul 13th, 2009 at 8:00AM:
With the latest deal from Koryo Tours on travel to Pyongyang for the amazing Arirang event, one commenter had a great question: "I'd love to go and take lots of pictures, but I wonder if they would allow that??"
Well, Kelso, you would definitely be allowed to take pictures.
Though there are "many restrictions on photography that have to be obeyed in the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of ...Amazing North Korea trip deal: Arirang for $1,000!
Jul 9th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Koryo Tours is offering the least expensive North Korea travel deal I've ever seen. Granted, there aren't many tours to this corner of the world, so there can't be too many discounts. But, even in this limited field, a $1,000 jaunt to the most isolated country in the world is an incredible find.
tweetmeme_url = ...Arirang gets green light in DPRK!
Apr 10th, 2009 at 12:00PM: It is confirmed: the Arirang Mass Games will be held in Pyongyang, North Korea this summer. The event will run from August 10, 2009 through the end of September, highlighting the precision for which the DPRK performers have become famous. According to Koryo Tours, Americans are welcome to attend the festival this year. If you are considering a visit to the Hermit Kingdom late this summer, do be ...More details on American access to North Korea in 2009
Feb 11th, 2009 at 8:30AM: It may not be time to celebrate, but you can certainly be optimistic (with a dose of caution). Koryo Tours has received an update from its partners in North Korea about the upcoming Arirang (i.e., "Mass Games" event). The Mass Games are expected to be held in August and September – and could run into October (based on past experience). Koryo Tours is currently scheduling tours for westerners ...Forbidden travel: you're not the first
Jan 3rd, 2009 at 12:00PM: The world's hot spots have become hotter, according to MSNBC's Christopher Elliott. He lists Cuba, Iran and North Korea among the countries that are attracting American tourist interest and offers some smart advice for anyone interested in taking the plunge. These and other countries on the U.S. State Department's list of travel warnings dangerous destinations are fun, though, specifically because ...North Korea Mass Games may happen in 2009
Dec 18th, 2008 at 12:00PM: Rumors earlier this year suggested that the North Korean Mass Games ("Arirang") were being pushed back to 2012. The magic in that number is that it's the 100th anniversary of the birth of the deceased but still-serving president, Kim Il Sung. Koryo Tours' recent newsletter, though, suggests that Arirang my run in 2009 after all. Likely months are August and October-though the specialists in taking ...Gadling Take FIVE: Week of October 4 - October 11
Oct 10th, 2008 at 3:00PM: Browsing through Gadling's offerings this week are posts about places from the people who have had first hand experience.
Jerry's trip to Pyongyang brought him an unexpected "history lesson on [his] own [Chinese] cultural heritage." His posts are an opportunity to ride along and see North Korea through his eyes. You'll also glean the impressions of his traveling companions.
For another trip into ...Pyongyang Journal: Misadventures in the Democratic People's Republic of Disneyland (part 2)
Oct 7th, 2008 at 9:30AM: Part 1 here. On Day 2, he focused on the "three frees" of Korean society: education, healthcare, and housing. Because we had a two-hour bus ride to Mt. Myohyang, home to a 400-room fortress where gifts to the DPRK are proudly displayed, he invited questions. "How much grain is allotted to each worker a month?" asked Wang Zhelu, a teacher from Dalian. "Twenty-seven kilograms," Mr. Ju replied, ...Pyongyang Journal: Misadventures in the Democratic People's Republic of Disneyland
Oct 6th, 2008 at 9:30AM: Ox-drawn carts squeak by towering marble monuments – with slogans like "Live forever our father" [Kim Il Sung]. Remnants of four-lane highways snake parallel to a single train track that handles all traffic through the northwestern corridor. Schoolchildren in tattered shorts play near stiff-faced sentries (the kids wield sticks; the soldiers, automatic rifles). Such dichotomies reflect the ...I see dead people
Apr 26th, 2008 at 9:00AM: I have succumbed to the fascination in viewing dead people. I'm not talking about funerals, but about viewing dead people who have been dead awhile, as in years and years. The recent public viewing of Padre Pio, a Catholic saint, in San Giovani Rotondo, Italy has brought back memories.
Ho Chi Minh was my first preserved body tourist attraction. Mao Zedong was the second one. I wasn't really ...Tears in Pyongyang: Eric Clapton invited to perform in North Korea
Feb 29th, 2008 at 11:00AM: Would you know my name If I saw you in Pyongyang Will it be the same If I saw you in Pyongyang I must be strong, and carry on Cause I know I don't belong Here in Pyongyang According to the Mainichi Daily News, North Korean officials have invited Eric Clapton to perform a concert in the communist state. Apparently the son of Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Chol, is a big fan. Clapton's spokespeople, however, ...Infiltrating North Korea Part 13: Kids will be kids
Western culture meets Pyongyang
Dec 13th, 2007 at 10:39PM: An article in yesterday's New York Times neatly dove-tails with Neil's Infiltrating North Korea post on Arts and Culture. This coming February the New York Philharmonic will be performing in Pyongyang. North Korea invited them. Perhaps Neil's visit so impressed the higher ups, i.e., "Who is that incredibly tall American who takes pictures of food and traffic women? He's so polite, so charming, so ...
