Aug 9th, 2011 at 12:00PM:
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, ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Pyongyang posts
Ghostscrapers - Top ten post-apocalyptic abandoned skyscrapers
Aug 9th, 2011 at 12:00PM:
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, ...New North Korea tour company needs approval from the feds
Aug 7th, 2011 at 8:00AM: 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 ...Is the United States a booming travel market for North Korea?!
Aug 6th, 2011 at 3:00PM: 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 ...Eight interesting facts about North Korea's airline
Aug 3rd, 2011 at 8:00AM:
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 ...Candid look inside North Korea
Mar 18th, 2011 at 2:30PM:
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 ...
North Korea resumes construction on world's most hideous hotel
Mar 5th, 2011 at 3:00PM:
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 ...North Korea cuts Pyongyang in half because of food shortage
Feb 16th, 2011 at 4:00PM: 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 ...FourSquare is everywhere ... even North Korea
Dec 20th, 2010 at 8:00AM:
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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 ...Five travel suggestions for Julian Assange of Wikileaks
Dec 14th, 2010 at 1:30PM:
If you were just let out of solitary confinement after having wandered the globe, where would you go? Now, let's make it complicated: what if you were one of the most controversial figures on the planet?
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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is now out on bail, ...North Korea says South Korea "Hell-Bent" on war
Dec 5th, 2010 at 5:00PM:
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 ...Five North Korea trips for 2011, and a "no taxation" celebration
Nov 12th, 2010 at 3:00PM:
It isn't easy to visit North Korea. The country makes it intentionally difficult for outsiders to get in. For those of us in the United States, the distances to be traveled increase the barrier even more. Well, I just got the list of tour options from Koryo Tours, and it looks like North Korea is more open than ever!
There are several ways you can get to Pyongyang and other cities in 2011 ...Five American-style North Korean restaurants for foodies
Nov 8th, 2010 at 8:00AM: This may not have been the case a few years ago, but Pyongyang is definitely on its way to becoming a culinary destination ... well, maybe not. Nonetheless, it is pretty wild that the self-isolating regime has let slip some pretty wild information about the dining options available in the capital. If you can finagle a way into North Korea and somehow get yourself a bit of freedom to move, there ...Former chef to North Korean dictator dishes on change prospects with Kim Jong-un
Nov 4th, 2010 at 8:00AM: It looks like Kim Jong-un will follow in the footsteps of his father, Kim Jong-il. This succession plan, of sorts, will extend the Kim dynasty in North Korea to a third generation, separating the top dog even further from the supposed revolutionary exploits of the country's first leader, Kim Il-sung.
With new blood, of course, the question of change is inevitable. Under Kim Jong-il, there have ...New Pyongyang restaurant opens to rave reviews
Nov 2nd, 2010 at 11:00AM: Forget Manhattan, Pyongyang seems to be the hottest spot for new restaurant openings. Sure, there seems to be a new dining option popping up in New York City every time you blink ... but that's to be expected! When new options come to North Korea, it's a bit more noticeable.
Only two weeks ago, word hit the west about a new burger joint in the North Korean capital, called Samtaesung, with links ...North Korea: flight attendants redefine customer service
Oct 22nd, 2010 at 8:00AM:
There's no shortage of gripes among both business and leisure travelers about the level of service we receive from the airlines. We've all had our shares of miserable customer service experiences, from bad experiences with orange juice to getting bumped by the beverage cart. Yet, nothing compares to what you experience on Air Koryo, it seems.
There's only one airline that flies in and out of ...Pyongyang burger joint opens to wide popularity
Oct 18th, 2010 at 2:00PM: Pyongyang has its first hamburger joint, and the locals who can afford it are flocking to the place. With a name rooted firmly in propaganda – not exactly surprising – the restaurant serves distinctly American fare, though I doubt there's a disclaimer on the menu.
Samtaesung, the name of the fast-food spot, translates to "Three Huge Stars," an obvious reference to current leader Kim ...The beach town you'll probably never see: Wonsan, North Korea
Oct 4th, 2010 at 2:30PM:
Umbrellas are firmly planted in the sand, and children splash through the water in pursuit of a ball or each other. The scene is exactly what you'd see on either U.S. coast, or at any number of beaches around the world. And, because access is free, all walks of life can be found lounging on the sand, dipping a toe or simply enjoying each other's company. Yet, this isn't just any beach – ...Arirang extended in North Korea
Sep 29th, 2010 at 1:30PM:
Arirang, also known as the "mass games," has been extended until October 25, 2010. The North Korean festival features thousands of dancers performing in unison and is packed with local symbolism. The event consists of 100,000 performers in all. Koryo Tours, which brings westerners into North Korea, has put together a short trip from October 23 – 26, 2010 to catch the last of the event.
...Pyongyang to ditch traffic girls? Progress comes to North Korea
Sep 28th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Traffic-directing hotties have always been a staple of the North Korean capital. Chosen for their looks rather than their skills in moving cars smoothly along Pyongyang's rather empty streets, the traffic girls have become an attractive attraction in themselves ... and it looks like they are set to be retired.
According to a post on the site Pyongynag Traffic Girls, there are reports that the ...Kim Jong-il likely to inspect biggest North Korea military parade in history
Sep 27th, 2010 at 2:30PM: Who doesn't love a parade, right? Well, there's a big one coming to Pyongyang. A large military parade is in the works, reports Yonhap News Agency, and it's expected to be "unprecedented" in scale. In fact, it's likely to be the largest military parade North Korea has held, possibly twice as large as its predecessors.
Troops, armored vehicles, missiles and other hardware have been amassed at ...
