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What to buy inside a North Korean app store

April 19, 2019 by Tongil Tours

North Korea app flyers

First published at NK News on the 1st of February, 2019.

By Alek Sigley, founder of Tongil Tours and postgraduate student at Kim Il Sung University.

From video games to language learning, Pyongyangites increasingly have plenty of choices

Life as a foreign student in Pyongyang brings with it many unique perks and privileges. Like resident diplomatic staff and NGO workers, we can walk and cycle freely (with no need for a translator or guide to accompany us) around Pyongyang.

We can spend our money in a wide selection of stores and restaurants that tourists and short-term guests are barred from even stepping foot inside. We are the only foreign residents who can ride the subway and use taxis to get about town by ourselves (diplomatic staff and NGO workers would require their Korean staff to be with them).

Another area in which foreign long-term residents (both foreign students and other types of foreign long-term residents) enjoy a unique level of access is software and digital devices.

If a short-term visitor wanted to buy a North Korean tablet computer, for example, they would only be permitted to buy one that has basically all local software taken off. This wasn’t the case when they first emerged around 2013, but since has become a policy.

North Korea smartphone
The rise of smartphone use in North Korea has resulted in a boom in mobile apps | Photo by nknews_hq

But we foreign long-term residents can purchase any of the North Korean tablet computers (and there are many brands now) as normal, with the full gamut of programs that they generally come stocked with, from dictionaries (and this can be very helpful for our Korean language studies), the DPRK’s equivalent to the Encyclopedia Britannica, and some simple games.

Enter the North Korean app store

We are also uniquely able to use the local “app store” to get new apps and updates to our devices.

A point of clarification is perhaps necessary. North Korea’s domestic intranet is becoming more and more developed, and as of just last year, Wi-Fi zones in downtown Pyongyang and the devices that can use them to access the intranet — Wi-Fi enabled tablets and smartphones– have made their first appearance.

Cellular data is also commonly available for smartphones, which I’ve noticed to be within the means of ordinary Pyongyang residents such as taxi drivers and waitresses. I was told that presently cellular data is on the slow and expensive side, but that speeds would increase from 10 megabytes per second to 100 megabytes per second soon.

Residents accessing intranet on their smartphones or tablets can use it to augment the functionality of apps they already have: they can use it to read new editions of the Rodong Sinmun in the newspaper’s dedicated app, or stream content (music, videos, ebooks) on “Naui Kiltongmu” (“My Companion”) for example. But as of yet, individual users still cannot go on the intranet to install new apps directly onto their devices.

The app store is presently not an app store in the online sense of Apple’s App Store or Google’s Google Play. The North Korean app store is, rather, a physical place. They usually take the form of a counter attached to a larger shop.

The space is covered with flyers advertising the various apps, which are produced in color, done in high print quality and then laminated, and arranged into a grid stuck to the walls surrounding the counter, and sometimes also placed on the counter itself.

These flyers are interesting as a form of nascent advertising in North Korea. They also make for eye catching spaces, often completely covering entire walls with colorful advertising.

North Korean app store
Downtown Pyongyang is full of app stores like this one | Photo: Alek Sigley

These app stores are already ubiquitous in Pyongyang. Within just five minutes’ walk from the dormitory we know of at least five of them. One for example is inside the electronics section of a supermarket (which also runs its own restaurant upstairs as often is the case) we frequent.

Another is adjacent to a printing service, just across from a drinks counter and a shop underneath one of the best restaurants in our neighborhood (as you’re perhaps already getting a sense, the retail experience in North Korea is very eclectic).

I’ve also seen them in department stores, telecommunications centers (where you can purchase phones and phone plans), photo studios—even the art gallery on Kim Il Sung Square has its own little counter.

Just as much they can be a part of your neighborhood grocery store, they are of course an indispensable part of the “IT exchange centers” (정보기술교류소) scattered all about town, which specialize in electronic goods but often branch out into printing, photography, and other services.

Getting the apps

At first, we tried to see if we could install local apps to our devices brought over from abroad. We noticed that the local system is an Android one, and figured that it should be possible to get local apps onto our own foreign Android devices.

However, we soon found that there was mutual incompatibility. Firstly, local systems were based on a much older version of Android. Secondly, it seemed to be a feature of the way that the system and the apps were coded that local apps could only be installed onto local devices (conversely, foreign apps and even media files cannot be used with local devices).

But after we purchased our own local tablets and smartphones, we were able to use these app stores for ourselves.

Here’s how the app installation process works. You walk in, and tell the person behind the counter which apps you want. You can browse the flyers around the counter to get an idea of any apps you’d like to purchase.

The store should also be able to sell apps beyond what are advertised on the limited space of the countertop and the walls, you can talk to the staff and confirm whether they have the app you want.

“You walk in, and tell the person behind the counter which apps you want” | Photo: Alek Sigley

The staff have an in-depth knowledge of apps, so you can also simply have a chat with them and describe what kind of apps you want, and they can give you recommendations.

I’ve gone in and asked them to recommend me popular games, and tried to find out if there were any eBook apps that would allow me to access electronic versions of North Korea’s top literary magazine, Choson Munhak, and novels published by the Arts and Literature Publishing House (both of which are important sources for my master’s thesis), or whether they had any selfie apps (the kind that can detect and “beautify” faces in photos).

I obtained some interesting games through this. With eBooks I found that such apps used to exist but that now eBooks are downloaded from the intranet (which as the time of writing we’re still trying to figure out how to access as foreigners), and that the photo beautification app Pomhyanggi (“spring fragrance”) has been discontinued. So it’s been a bit hit and miss, but one thing is clear and that is that there is already a pretty sizable selection of apps available.

Most apps feature both phone and tablet versions, although some may only work for the phone. Apps range in price from about 5,000 to 10,000 won. Upon deciding which apps you want the staff member will write them up onto a docket with prices.

You take that to the cashier, pay, the cashier stamps the docket and you take it back to the staff member (this is how payment in general works in most places in North Korea, a legacy of the Soviet accounting system—thanks to Peter Ward for clarification on this point).

The staff will then plug your device into their computer. They will install the apps onto your device using the .apk files they have in their database. They then get onto the intranet and visit the websites of each of the companies that produce the relevant apps.

There, they buy the activation codes needed for each app, without which the app, even if already installed via the .apk file, will not yet be able to function (I once got caught in a situation where an app was installed but the provider’s website was down so was told to come back later—the app was on my device but not usable until they were able to get onto the site and get the code for me).

At some point in the process, for certain apps with large databases such as dictionary apps, data files will also need to be obtained and installed.

After that you’re all set!

“One time I went in to get about ten apps, and the whole process took well over an hour” | Photo: Alek Sigley

In terms of overall convenience, it does help that these app stores are on every block, but the process can take quite some time. If things are busy, you will first have to wait in line for other customers to get their apps. Then, when it’s your turn, the procedure just described where the staff member installs and authorizes each app can take a while.

One time I went in to get about ten apps, and the whole process took well over an hour. I just had to stand around and wait, but couldn’t help but be struck by the time and labour required on the part of the staff in this method of installing apps, as opposed to an automated online store.

Types of apps

Finally, a quick look at what kinds of apps are available, based on looking at the flyers found at these app stores. (Categories somewhat arbitrary.)

Games. Many of the games on offer appear to be Korean translations or modifications of overseas offerings (a town defense game where the raiders are named “the Japanese brigands” or naval battle and tank games that play North Korean military songs as background music), with a portion of games that appear to be locally made.

I’ve seen everything from Sim City-type city builders to racing games, puzzle games, tower defense games, farming games, sports games, airplane flight simulators, a submarine simulator, virtual pet games, Street Fighter-style martials arts/ fighting games, card games, town defense games, a Guitar Hero-style music game, and another where the objective is to guess the name of the song playing, detective adventure games, board games such as Korean chess, and shooters with everything from tanks, naval battles, infantry, and a Robocop-style android, and more.

Business apps. Examples include electronic notebooks, accounting apps, and an app to assist with writing letters of congratulations.

Educational apps. These seem to be predominately locally made, and after games, might be the next most popular category together with lifestyle apps. Apps for learning English and Chinese seem to be in high demand.

Apps range from games to language learning and health tests | Photo: Alek Sigley

I’ve also seen apps for general knowledge, hanja (Chinese character) memorization, math puzzle apps, a piano simulator, a handwriting practice app, a Korean architecture guide app, an app for learning Sino-Korean four character idioms, and apps to help schoolchildren with their studies.

Lifestyle apps. Also mostly locally made and high in popularity. Cooking, health, and diet-related apps seem to be particularly common. Others include interior design and fashion advice apps, and apps for keeping track of exercise.

Entertainment apps. Apps such as North Korea’s Netflix equivalent, “Naui Kiltongmu” (“My Companion”), and various music (“Meari”) and eBook (“Ryomyong” and “Kwangmyong” apps.

Utility apps. A map app, an app that can test for color blindness, body fat, heart rate and breathing monitor apps, dictionary apps, apps for help with spelling and grammar, a construction worker’s notebook app, and IQ testers.

The apps are produced by various companies, whose logos are displayed prominently in the corner of each flyer.

In the coming weeks I will take a closer look at some of the more interesting apps, so watch this space!

Edited by Oliver Hotham

Featured image: Alek Sigley

Filed Under: From Perth to Pyongyang: An Australian Student in North Korea's Kim Il Sung University

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Edward Voet
Edward Voet
2018-08-10T06:39:33+0000
The tour was extremely well-managed and organised. Not only did we visit the significant cultural landmarks, we were... also able to develop a sense of what life is like for the average North Korean citizen. The tour guides were extremely amicable and easy to get along with, as were all other members of the tour. Alek is very friendly and a great person to have on the tour given his experience with running tours in North Korea. The positive relationship between Tongil Tours and the tour company in North Korea was very obvious. At no time were we made to feel unsafe, and the restrictions on taking photos were no more strict than in any other country (no photos in places of high security). Some highlights included the Pyongyang Circus, Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, natural sightseeing in rural areas, and visiting local schools. I highly recommend this tour for those who are looking to learn more about the history of the Korean peninsula, gain an extremely unique perspective on the situation in North Korea, and have a genuinely enjoyable cultural experience.read more
Isaac Beers
Isaac Beers
2018-05-22T11:31:10+0000
Wouldn't travel to the DPRK with anyone else. Incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated people who really care about... cultural exchange and education. We thoroughly enjoyed our 5 day tour, would have liked to have been able to stay longer.read more
Jonny Garrison
Jonny Garrison
2018-02-12T03:52:52+0000
These guys were amazing, trip of a lifetime Nikolai was such an honest cool bloke, the Korean guides were so... knowledgeable, so many of the myths were broken down, it was eye opening! Great value and being a small group we got to see things that the other larger groups couldn’t, highlights for me were definitely the palace and New Year’s Eve in the square roaming amongst thousands of locals. Being vegan as well I was a little concerned I’d just have cabbage and rice for dinner but far from it the food was so varied and amazing, I will hopefully return to do the marathon .read more
Cat Yen
Cat Yen
2018-01-20T16:40:00+0000
Alek from Tongil Tours provided an incredible trip around Seoul. It is difficult to imagine anybody with comparable... knowledge of South Korea and North Korea's history and culture, which allowed him to infuse all the historical sites we went to, natural vistas we hiked and even the food we ate with context and meaning -- it was never just a matter of visiting a palace, or a temple. Tongil Tours put together an extremely varied itinerary, ranging from tours of palaces, temples, art galleries, markets, mountain hiking, shopping and 'trend' areas, traditional communities, gardens and a variety of restaurants (all of which were either famous, historically significant or just delicious in their own right). Particularly great was Alek's deep knowledge of North Korean affairs, which allowed him to offer alternative perspectives and balance the sometimes biased information at places like museums. Moreover, Alek was extremely accommodating to my particular interests and tailored the trip accordingly (for example, by including extra trips to temples due to my particular interest in Buddhism) and was happy to revisit sites I enjoyed particularly (for example, visiting a certain local dessert vendor more than once). Alek's fluency in South Korean and his many years of residing in South Korea means that Tongil Tours can provide an unparallelled experience -- thank you Tongil Tours!read more
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Bronwen Dalton
2017-12-09T01:04:52+0000
Gennady Yartsev
Gennady Yartsev
2017-10-12T19:33:06+0000
I visited Seoul late August 2017 and had luck of having a Tongil Tours guide expert giving me a tour around the city.... This remarkable tour included both must-see historical landmarks and authentic local specialties experiences, all being provided with in-depth commentary only a professional Korean-speaking scholar could give, including information on historical, culinary and modern popular culture backround of places visited and seen. A memorable part of my journey was visiting the Demilitarized Zone at the South-North Korean border. Being an academic expert on North-Korean studies who has visited the other side of the border much more than just once, the tour guide provided unbiased context on history of tragic division of a once united country and first-hand information about the current state of affairs, a perspective one can find hard to achieve relying on traditional tour guides available for booking at any hotel lobby. Altogether Tongil Tours made my visit extremely informative and fun at the same time, I am looking forward for my North Korea trip which I hope will happen soon.read more
Yuka  Morinaga
Yuka Morinaga
2017-08-13T14:03:12+0000
平壌だけでなく、開城・元山・咸興・海州・金剛山など各地の名所を巡りました。開城... 参鶏湯と、元山のはまぐり焼きがおすすめです。平壌で人気のカフェに行ったり、現地の大学生と交流したり、リクエストに応じて旅程をアレンジできました。トンイルツアーのガイドさんの流暢な朝鮮語と、現地の歴史・社会・文化に対する豊富な知識のおかげで、北朝鮮に対する理解を深めることができ、楽しく旅行することができました!北朝鮮現地のフレンドリーなガイドさんは、こちらのリクエストに応えるために尽力してくださったり、現地の生活のことをいろいろ教えてくださったりしました。ありがとうございました!また参加したいです。read more
Tay B.k.
Tay B.k.
2017-04-20T07:15:20+0000
Cez Krol
Cez Krol
2017-03-18T22:04:51+0000
I visited North Korea on a private tour with my friend - Agness (see our blog - etramping). Since we remember, North... Korea has been always on the top of our bucket list. As we all know, you can't get into the country without a reputable tour company, so were more than happy to let Tongil Tours guide us throughout this unique and intense experience. We decided to travel with Tongil Tours for the sake of their cause - bridging the communication gap between North Korean locals and foreigners - as well as their impressive educational background. With Tongil Tour we were able to learn more about the history and culture of North Korea while attending sites of interest as well as lectures. Our whole North Korean experience was a great balance of fun and education. During the whole trip, we were accompanied by 4 people: Joey - our American guide from Tongil Tours, Ms Hong - North Korean guide who has lived in Cuba for 7 years, Ms Oh - North Korean guide who has lived in Libya for 7 years, Mr Lee - our North Korean driver. We were very glad that they all turned out to be kind-hearted, funny and well-educated people with whom we enjoyed plenty of laughter and a lot of insights into their everyday lives and international experience they all gathered when studying and living in the DPRK and abroad. We felt like one big family towards the end of our trip. Having great guides was the best thing that could happen to us, because otherwise, it may have been very difficult to go through the experience. Special thanks to Joey for keeping us entertained and giving us the insider knowledge about everything we experienced with his funny anecdotes, fascinating stories and interesting facts about North Korea. Thanks to Tongil Tours, we had an opportunity to attend Kimchi cooking class, a local magic show, go bowling where we could get closer to locals - places and activities not every visitor is offered to see/do - and visit a portion of the North Korean DMZ. Moreover, we've visited local cafeterias (we love coffee and these guys knew that), went for an electric tram ride around Pyongyang and had plenty of fun once we got to the bar where we could try different local beers - chocolate, coffee, and rice flavoured. This trip has also turned into a real culinary experience. We were all served freshly chopped or pickled veggies, high-quality meat such as grilled duck, chicken broth, eggs, fresh fruits. We were also eating a lot of rice cakes and bread, but it was nice to have so many healthy options to choose from in each meal. One of our favourite meals in North Korea was naengmyeon, AKA cold noodles, served a large stainless-steel bowl with a tangy iced broth with pickled cucumbers, wide strips of lightly pickled radish, a boiled egg and slices of cold beef. If you are looking for a unique experience in North Korea, we highly recommend travelling with Tongil Tours. We are happy for building up this relationship and would like to travel with them in the future.read more
Travis Jeppesen
Travis Jeppesen
2017-03-13T08:35:07+0000
I was on the first language course in Pyongyang in 2016 and can highly recommend it. It definitely gave me more of an... insider's view on life in the DPRK capital than previous trips I'd taken to the country.read more
Alex Curylo
Alex Curylo
2017-03-07T00:04:21+0000
Took the train in from Beijing and plane out to Shenyang in late February 2017, visiting the Koguryo and Kaesong WHS... sites as well as the regular Pyongyang+DMZ showcase sights. Tongil did an EXCELLENT job of scheduling the visit to cover everything thoroughly, and picked wonderful guides as well. Unconditionally recommended.read more
Bill Sykes
Bill Sykes
2016-09-01T18:38:34+0000
I enjoyed a great experience when I toured the DPRK in 2016 I felt safe and secure and welcome at all times Everything... ran smoothly thanks to Tongil Tours- Peter Sukonek and local guide Miss Hong who was very on the ball ! I now have a better understanding of their perspective I hope that Korea may be reunited democratically in the future Bill Sykesread more
Alex Selth
Alex Selth
2016-08-08T13:42:24+0000
8 days in the DPRK in July 2016. I studied North Korea at university, but you can't really understand a place until you... visit. Our tour took us to four major cities and an assortment of other fascinating sites, with some of the best guides and tour management I've experienced. Alek is hugely knowledgeable and deeply experienced with the country, and went out of his way to make sure our trip was memorable, fascinating, and surprisingly tasty!read more
William Sima
William Sima
2016-07-15T01:42:48+0000
A trip to the DPRK challenges the senses and the mind, and will leave the visitor with a more informed attitude to this... country and, by implication, one's own country and worldview. On the one hand visitors will find the isolated, feudal-Stalinist dystopia they've heard and read about. You will feel something of the psychological abuse to which this odious regime subjects its people, the obscurantism and hysterics of the DPRK's official historical and political discourse, and the tragic damage that decades of isolation can wreak on the minds of even the well-educated. On the other hand there are fathomable historical reasons why North Korea is the way that it is, reasons which differ greatly from the "crazy/evil" line in our own media and public discourse. But most importantly — as is surely true of any country — there is more to the DPRK than politics. With a population of 24 million North Korea has at least one thing in common with Australia, and our one week tour confirmed for me the truth that, politics aside, human beings all share essentially the same concerns and aspirations in their lives. Tour operator Alek, a student of Korean language, history and culture, does an outstanding job in helping visitors grapple with the emotional and intellectual challenges of this country. This work begins in the weeks before departure, with Alek providing academic and more general background readings and optional lectures about the country and what to expect. Once there, you're told some quite outlandish things at museums, historic sites and places of Kim-worship; how valuable to have somebody at hand, however discreetly, to help you make sense of what you're hearing and steer you closer towards the truth. Alek's command of the language helped our group break the ice when talking to people on the street, and on the train out to Dandong, it helped lighten the atmosphere and defuse a rather tense situation with austere customs officials — I don't know what I would have done if by myself! Mandarin speakers should also note that there are similarities between the two languages and Alek, who knows both of them, can explain the Korean via the Chinese — which makes everything from place names to propaganda slogans infinitely easier to remember. But most importantly, from the beaches at Wonsan to school classrooms, hotel bars, bowling alleys and the Pyongyang metro, the language factor made it possible to engage, however fleetingly, with the Korean people, in whose country we were guests for one week. The few (western — there are many Chinese) tour groups we encountered did not have the luxury of such interpretation, on both the linguistic and cultural/historical levels, that Alek provides with Tongil Tours. In hindsight, I can't imagine what it would have been like to be at the mercy of just our Korean guides, or — much worse — of other unscrupulous tour operators who sell this country as a "weird" Other for privileged westerners to gawk at "for thrills". Considering the difficulties inherent in making it to the DPRK and the challenges the country presents, I'd advise anybody to consider Tongil Tours to get the most from their precious time there.read more
Iga Morzyńska
Iga Morzyńska
2016-05-08T16:30:55+0000
I went on a tour to North Korea in September 2015 and it was definitely a very valuable and unforgettable experience.... Alek is truly passionate about what he is doing and he definitely did a great job in making me really interested in North Korea. He is very knowledgeable and also very patient in answering any questions we had during the tour. I did not have any expectations prior going to North Korea, but I came back with a lot more knowledge and understanding of the North Korean culture and society. Thanks to our amazing tour guides, we were able to see much more than only Pyongyang. We got to visit a local school, and even participate in class and teach the kids some English songs. We were also able to visit the War museum, which for me was one of the highlights of the tour. Honestly speaking, before going to North Korea I imagined it to be a very isolated, secluded place, I was very positively surprised when it all turned out to be untrue, when we had a chance to interact with the local people during visits to the skate park or the amusement park. I would absolutely recommend it to any open-minded person who is willing to open up for new perspectives and look beyond the common convictions about the DPRK, I can guarantee you to learn a lot during the tour and come back with a rewarding new experience and point of view. I felt 100% safe and wouldn’t mind going back there again one day!read more
Airi Tsukada
Airi Tsukada
2016-04-02T02:30:36+0000
James Enderby
James Enderby
2015-07-29T06:45:02+0000
James Enderby – 5 star I went with Tongil Tours to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPPK) in July for 7... days. I had a fantastic time. I enjoyed the Korean food, circus, dancing and singing. Our DPPK guide Mrs Hong was excellent and spoke extremely good English as well as some Spanish. One of the best things about the trip was that we were given the opportunity to see multiple cities in the DPPK including Pyongyang, Kaesong and several others. The other thing that made the trip worth while was that unlike other tours, Tongil tours provided an Australian academic on the trip. Alek Sigley, our Australian Academic from ANU, (who is an expert in Korean studies) gave a whole new perspective on the country. He gave us the chance to ask far more question to educate us about the DPPK. Furthermore the trip provides tourists with the chance to dispel myths and prejudices about the DPPK (again largely due to the fact that Tongil Tours provides an Australian Academic on the DPPK). All in all I would rate Tongil Tours 5 stars. Jamesread more
David Pritts
David Pritts
2015-07-29T00:02:50+0000
The trip was unique and unforgettable The small group atmosphere allowed for flexibility that catered to the interests... of the individual travelers. Besides "typical" attractions such as famous monuments, etc., some less traditional (and more fun) activities were on the agenda, such as ice skating with North Korean children, going out for North Korean beers, and visiting an amusement park. I would consider going again some day. Thanks!read more
Oliver Murrell
Oliver Murrell
2015-07-21T23:29:05+0000
I went on a Tongil Tours' trip to North Korea in September 2014. It was superbly organised and the trip was an... experience I will never forget. You really get to see the many different sides (good and bad) to North Korean culture and society. As well as learning a lot, the tour was very fun and the people in the group were certainly enjoyable. The tour guides were very friendly and helpful. This is truly a country like no other, and while of course I was a little concerned about travelling to this foreboding place, Tongil Tours made us all feel safe (mostly). I would highly recommend this to anyone who is curious about the Hermit Kingdom or has an eager sense of adventure. Pricing is very reasonable too, ideal for students in particular. Would definitely go again! :Dread more
George Martin
George Martin
2015-06-29T09:29:09+0000
I went on a trip to the 14th Pyongyang International Film Festival organised by Tongil Tours in autumn 2014, and I can... honestly say that it was one of my best (and most surreal!) holidays ever. The itinerary was interesting and varied and despite being somewhat apprehensive about what the tour might entail before setting out, I felt comfortable and safe throughout the entirety of the trip. Having looked at some other tour providers I am really happy that I settled with Tongil Tours – as well as being fun, the trip was also informative and educational. I loved how a real emphasis was placed on direct interactions with ordinary North Koreans, which Tongil Tours and our guide Alek did their best to facilitate at every opportunity. Alek was a fantastic guide – from the moment he met us at the airport in Beijing to when we parted, we never had any problems he couldn't deal with and he'd bend over backwards to help us out whenever we could (including scouring Pyongyang for a cup of decent coffee!). But most importantly he really helped us put everything we were seeing into context from an educated and balanced perspective. Alek's passion for North Korea is clear, and his knowledge of North Korea's history and culture and really helped bring the country to life. His language skills made talking to people a lot easier too, although it was surprising how many young people spoke at least rudimentary English. He was by no means a government propagandist, but it was his (and the tour/company in general's) emphasis on getting beyond the voyeurism in Western media's portrayal of North Korea that really made the holiday special. Of course, we got to see our fair share of communist kitsch, but what left the most lasting impression on me was just having simple conversations with ordinary people who we're led to believe are mindless robots, something which Alek did all he could to facilitate. Although they were naturally unable to give us as an objective a view of the country, our North Korean guides were also kind and helpful (yes, they do always follow you around, but once you get used to the idea that that's just the way it is and just get along with them then it doesn't feel intrusive). They were almost as keen to learn about the West as we were about North Korea, and by the end they felt like friends. Sharing a dirty joke with our guide Jong is something that will stay with me for a long time! Overall, I would highly recommend Tongil Tours to anyone thinking of visiting North Korea who wants to get that extra something out of their trip!read more

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