Aug 21st, 2010 at 2:00PM: A new fine art exhibition kicked off in Pyongyang last week, and according to the Korea Central News Agency, it's a must-see. If you're down with the "anti-Japanese struggle," I suspect you'll be right at home at the Pyongyang International Cultural Center.
There are "at least 60 fine art works" on display, among them pieces created by Pyongyang-area artists during the "period of the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
pyongyang posts
North Korean art show focuses on the familiar
Aug 21st, 2010 at 2:00PM: A new fine art exhibition kicked off in Pyongyang last week, and according to the Korea Central News Agency, it's a must-see. If you're down with the "anti-Japanese struggle," I suspect you'll be right at home at the Pyongyang International Cultural Center.
There are "at least 60 fine art works" on display, among them pieces created by Pyongyang-area artists during the "period of the ...DMZ peace park a hopeful Korean destination for children
Aug 16th, 2010 at 4:30PM: In my career as a writer – and before that as a management consultant – I saw some pretty strange proposals. But, nothing that crossed my desk compared to what Jonathan Lee has put together. The 13-year-old was born in South Korea and lives in the United States, and he's going on a most unusual journey. The enterprising teenager was scheduled to fly Thursday night to Pyongyang to pitch ...Five facts about the North Korean Arirang festival
Aug 12th, 2010 at 8:00AM: North Korea's Arirang festival is in motion, and people from all over the world are traveling to the isolated communist country to watch what truly is an impressive undertaking. But, what do we really know about it? So much about North Korea is shrouded in mystery, making it hard to really learn much about what goes on there.
Instead of relying on the accounts of tourists, the western media or ...Everybody loves Arirang according to North Korean news agency
Aug 11th, 2010 at 1:00PM: It's Arirang time! The North Korean group gymnastics festival is under way, and the crowds are predictably adoring. According to the Korea Central News Agency, the twenty-fifth batch of campers of the Songdowon International Children's Camp "appreciated the grand gymnastic and artistic performance." But, that shouldn't come as a surprise because it was in KCNA.
Shockingly, the KCNA continued: ...Five Unique Ways to Visit North Korea in 2011
Jul 30th, 2010 at 2:30PM:
You've listened to enough friends and co-workers drone on and on about the boring, conventional vacations they take. In the pre-social media days, these people would have bored you to death with slide show and photo albums. Now, they just clutter your Facebook news feed. Want revenge? Take the most unusual vacation imaginable, and they'll forever be embarrassed to waste your time with worn out ...Shanghai: New route from China to North Korea
Jul 23rd, 2010 at 3:00PM:
It isn't exactly a wide-open commercial route, but at least the door is slightly ajar. Korean Air charter flights will start flying from Shanghai to Pyongyang on August 6, 2010, when the first group of tourists will take advantage of this (rather slight) liberalization of North Korean travel rules.
The goal, of course, is to "help to further promote cooperation and exchanges between China and ...North Korea Threatens "Historical Punishment" for Vacation Blocking
Mar 26th, 2010 at 1:00PM: Korea Central News Agency, the official mouthpiece of North Korea, is mad – damned mad – that South Koreans aren't heading across the border any more.
Mt. Kumgang tours were made possible at one point, but the South Korean government has suspended them, according to the North, because the Ministry of Unification and other governmental bodies have expressed doubts about the personal ...Kim Jong-Il Celebration: Party Like It's Juche 99
Feb 17th, 2010 at 9:00AM: It was the biggest party of the year – and will probably retain that distinction until the end. Everybody was there, including foreign officials far too cool to be named. Dancers, singers and synchronized swimmers performed ... all in honor of the Dear Leader's sixty-eighth birthday. According to Pyongyang's state-run media, Kim was "praised by mankind as the most outstanding political elder ...North Korean film festival has begun!
Feb 10th, 2010 at 12:00PM: If you just happen to be in Pyongyang for the next week, check out the city's film festival. It opened yesterday at the People's Palace of Culture, with the opening ceremony followed by a screening of "The Great Devotion (2009, the year of dramatic changes)." The festival's fare is predictable in subject matter, but it will give you a leg up on the film junkies who brag about
Sundance and ...North Korea to Americans: come on over!
Jan 30th, 2010 at 11:00AM: The good news has been confirmed: North Korea is opening its doors to Americans all year long. The Korea International Travel Company revealed the new policy to Asia Pacific Travel Ltd, which is a departure from the standard that had existed since 2005. For the past five years, Americans have only been able to travel to North Korea during the Arirang festival in August and September. Still being ...Five rules for traveling to North Korea
Jan 25th, 2010 at 2:00PM: I'm told that travel to North Korea is quite safe, as long as you follow the rules (and don't do anything stupid). You have to realize that, politics aside, you're entering a country that just does things differently. Of course, the consequences that come with straying can be severe. The trip will be scripted, but you know that going in. Follow the bouncing ball, and you'll be just fine.
...North Korea to announce availability to Americans
Jan 13th, 2010 at 5:00PM: North Korean officials are thinking about opening the country to American visitors all year long. Though we'd still have to use the existing tour operators and have our options constrained once in the country, we'd at least be able to visit the most isolated country on Earth at virtually any time. Since 2005, Americans have only been able to visit during Arirang -- and for only up to five days at ...North Korea prohibits the use of large suitcases, a model to be replicated?
Jan 7th, 2010 at 12:00PM: The effect of monetary policy on the travel industry can be profound in any economy, but in North Korea, it's usually more complicated. In a developed market, for example, a monetary policy that leads to inflation can make travel more expensive (duh, right). Well, in North Korea, you have to look past the implications of monetary policy to the underlying political drivers ... because the root ...Latest U.S. traveler to North Korea has been detained
Dec 29th, 2009 at 4:00PM: The inevitable has happened. Robert Park, who had announced his plans to enter North Korea illegally, has been detained. The U.S. citizen crossed from China in order to bring attention to human rights abuses in the isolated nation and said before his departure that he doesn't want the U.S. authorities to come rescue him. Park told Reuters last week that he sees this mission as his Christian duty ...Which way is up? The travails of travel writing on North Korea
Dec 28th, 2009 at 8:00AM:
It's easy to be attracted to news about North Korea- for travel writers and every other type of journalist. So little comes out that even the appearance of information makes it noteworthy. This is why those of us interested in covering the most unusual place on Earth will run with press releases or other announcements that would make us groan if they came from anywhere else (I hope this answers ...Five major changes to North Korean tourism in 2009
Dec 14th, 2009 at 2:00PM:
Fewer than 1,500 Americans have been to North Korea on vacation, according to Koryo Tours, making it one of the truly remote destinations in a world that's becoming increasingly interconnected. So, if you're looking for an unusual stamp in your passport or bragging rights when the conversation turns to "most unusual destination," a trip above the DMZ remains one of the top alternatives.
If you ...North Korean departure leaves five detained in Thailand
Dec 12th, 2009 at 1:30PM: A cargo plane loaded with heavy weapons left Pyongyang, North Korea and had not a care in the world ... until the crew needed to land for more fuel at Don Mueang airport in Thailand. This emergency stop, according to Thailand's deputy prime minister, Suthep Thaungsuban, led to an inspection which unveiled missiles, firearms and other implements of mayhem and destruction -- 40 tons in all. ...Slip into Noko jeans: North Korean fashion in Sweden
Dec 2nd, 2009 at 3:00PM:
HELLO IT'S Noko Jeans! from Noko Jeans on Vimeo.
Capitalism fever has crossed the DMZ and wandered into North Korea. The reclusive communist state has launched a line of designer jeans, which are set to go on sale at a fashionable Stockholm department store on Friday. Drop $215 a pop to sport "Noko" brand jeans and show that you can get your hands on an unusual and hard-to-find brand. Make ...
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. ...
