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  • TOURS
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    • Getting to North Korea
    • Pyongyang Attractions
  • BLOG
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Study in North Korea! A Report on Our Inaugural Pyongyang Summer Language Program 2016

January 5, 2017 by Tongil Tours

By Tongil Tours founding partner Alek Sigley who organised, led, and took part in the program.

Alek Sigley Study North Korea University Kim Hyong Jik University of Education

Author at the front gate of Kim Hyong Jik University of Education, where our inaugural Pyongyang Summer Language Program was held.

 

Tongil Tours is excited to report that this summer we successfully ran our first ever Korean language study program in North Korea. As specialists in educational tourism to North Korea, and believers in the power of education to enable much needed cross-cultural understanding between North Korea and the outside world, this program is very much something that has been close to our hearts. Language being the primary medium through which culture is transmitted, we feel that there is no better way to further such cultural understanding than through studying the Korean language in a North Korean university.

The Background: Foreign Students in North Korean Universities in the Past

This program is something that we’d been aiming for since the very beginning. We started inquiring when Tongil Tours first started in 2013. With the help of our partners in North Korea, and a bit of luck, we were able to run this program as history’s first ever open study program in a North Korean university. In other words, it was the first time that foreign citizens of any nationality, including even US and Japanese citizens, were able to study in a North Korean university, simply by lodging an application through our website. This is regardless of occupation or academic affiliation.

North Korea has hosted foreign students for many decades. Our academic partners and associates number among these. To get a taste, you can read online about the experiences of this Guinean student, Aliou, who in the early 1980s studied at Wonsan Agricultural University, which features on our itineraries. There’s also this blog by a Russian student named Ashen who completed his undergraduate degree at Kim Il Sung University much more recently. If you can read Chinese, you’ll be able to find online quite a few journals written by some of the many Chinese university students who have gone to North Korea on exchange (see here for the English translation of the impressions of a Chinese student who studied at Kim Il Sung University for five years). These days they make up by far the largest portion at around sixty of the hundred or so foreign students going on short term exchange to the DPRK each year. And let’s not forget that high ranking Communist Party official Zhang Dejiang (张德江) studied economics at Kim Il Sung University in the 1980s.

While in the past, foreign students could be found at universities as far as Wonsan and Hamhung, these days only two universities accept international students, both of which are in Pyongyang. The first is Kim Il Sung University (김일성종합대학; 金日成綜合大學, see its official website here), North Korea’s most well-known university. It is a “comprehensive university” (종합대학; 綜合大學), meaning that it includes the whole gamut of disciplines from the humanities to the natural sciences. The other, Kim Hyong Jik University of Education (김형직사범대학; 金亨稷師範大學), is a sabom (사범; 師範) university, meaning that it specialises in training teachers. It is the top sabom university in the country, and bears the prestige of being named after Kim Il Sung’s father, Kim Hyong Jik, who worked as a teacher for part of his life. We ran our inaugural 2016 Pyongyang Summer Language Program at the latter institution, Kim Hyong Jik University of Education.

Until recently, North Korea’s bureaucracy has only ever allowed students from countries with which North Korea has had close political ties, such as China, Russia, Laos, Bulgaria, Mongolia, Germany (German Democratic Republic) and Vietnam, to study in its universities. The majority of these students were and are exchange students taking part in agreements their universities have signed with North Korean counterparts. There are also smaller numbers of students who complete undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, or pursue language study independently (i.e. not through an exchange agreement).

In 2015 emerged reports of a student from the UK, Alessandro Ford, studying at Kim Il Sung University, in which he claimed to be the “first Western student in the DPRK”. The truth of this statement of course depends on how one defines “the West”, a question we’ll leave aside for now. It can be said that Ford is either the first, or one of the first students from a former Western Bloc country to study in a DPRK university however. More importantly, this indicated an increased bureaucratic receptivity to the idea of hosting students from countries that haven’t been historical allies of Pyongyang. Since then, we have also come to know of a group of French students who studied Korean at Kim Il Sung University during the summer of 2015 for one month through their university. This more open atmosphere provided the lead up to our program, which ran from late June to mid-Jul 2016.

The First Program: What it was like to Study Korean in a North Korean University

And so our small but plucky group gathered in Beijing in mid-July 2016, not entirely knowing what to expect. One Australian (myself), one US citizen, and one French. We boarded our Air Koryo flight to Pyongyang with a mixture of excitement and trepidation in our hearts. This was the first time that anything like this had been done before.

We studied the Korean language (i.e. North Korean standard Korean, chosonmal 조선말/朝鮮말, chosono 조선어/朝鮮語, pyojuno 표준어/標準語, or munhwao 문화어/文化語 as it is variously known) at Kim Hyong Jik University of Education (KHJUE) for three weeks. Classes ran from Monday to Friday for two hours each morning. We were on tourist visas and stayed at a hotel in downtown Pyongyang. Upon arrival we were given a placement test. Two of us had studied Korean previously, the other was a complete beginner. Since our levels differed, we were each placed in a different class, and able to enjoy the privilege of one-on-one tuition and curriculums tailored to our personal needs.

Having previously received Korean language training in China, Australia, and South Korea (at Sogang University’s well-known Korean Language Education Centre), I can personally attest to the high quality of pedagogy at KHJUE. As can be expected from an institution specialising in the training of educators, our teachers were without exception top notch. The school has many decades of experience with teaching Korean to foreign students. It has and still teaches many Chinese, as well smaller numbers of Russians, Bulgarians, Laotians, and other nationalities. Some of these students, a class of Chinese and a young Bulgarian, were studying down the corridor from us.

KHJUE publishes all of its own textbooks, and it was from among these that we were taught. I found the material to contain useful grammar and speaking exercises, which helped acquaint me with commonly used expressions and vocabulary. The texts themselves introduced Korea’s landmarks and culture with warmth and humour. Themes included beach trips, explanations of the myths surrounding Mount Myohyang, and family gatherings.

North Korean Korean language textbooks

Korean language textbooks for foreign students published by Kim Hyong Jik University of Education’s press. Left: Korean Reading 3 (조선어강독/朝鮮語講讀), right: Korean Listening (조선어 듣기).

 

It was interesting to learn about North Korean ideology through them too. For example, in the text on family gatherings, a son and daughter spend quite some time debating what their mother would like best as her birthday present. Eventually, they decide on a bouquet of carnations. At the birthday party, the son, a rocket scientist, feels pangs of guilt and apologises to his mother for failing to give her grandchildren. She responds by reminding the son he should put his work first and not forget the oath he made to Kim Jong Un when the young leader visited his satellite command centre on a customary “on-the-spot guidance” tour.

In a different dialogue, a foreign visitor and her guide discuss the Spring scenery. The driver remarks that “if it’s the most beautiful Spring scenery that you’re after, look no further than Mangyongdae”, Mangyongdae being the birthplace of Kim Il Sung. In another exercise, I had to describe scenes presented in pictures in a PowerPoint slide. One picture portrayed people flocking to Mangyongdae. Another, people playing at the beach. And another, a North Korean rocket soaring into the sky.

In another text we follow the protagonist, “Mr Smith” from an unspecified European country, as he marvels at locally produced CNC machines at the Pyongyang Autumn Trade Fair (평양가을철국제상품전람회). For those of you wondering what CNC machines are, CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control, a factory automation technology which has become a motif in North Korean culture representing the cutting edge of science and technology. Images of these machines adorn bus stops and notebooks in North Korea, and a pop song about them has become a local all-time favourite; “Attain the Cutting Edge” (돌파하라 최첨단을). So when Mr Smith sees the CNC machines in the dialogue, he is so impressed that he orders twenty of them on the spot and requests technical assistance in operating them from the North Koreans. (See Andrei Lankov’s North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea for more on CNC as a North Korean cultural icon.)

Computer Numerical Control machine CNC

A typical CNC machine. (source: Nathaniel Sheetz, creative commons, Flickr)

 

Mr Smith then visits the Kumgang Mountains (Diamond Mountains) with his wife. But he finds that it’s not just the granite peaks that are nice to look at, but the women too. Upon hearing this, his wife gets annoyed and counters by saying that the men there are quite handsome as well. Mr Smith ends up comparing their guide to a “fairy come down from heaven” (하늘에서 내려온 선녀). As we were soon to discover, North Koreans love this kind of humour.

The textbook also contained some quite interesting Korean folk stories and riddles. It even included a Korean translation of the Fox and the Grapes story from Aesop’s Fables, which we read and discussed.

In-class exercises included talking about our friends back home, comparing the famous mountains of our countries with those of Korea and more. We learned to sing several North Korean songs, which helped us to better understand the emotional world of the North Korean people. We also played games such as one where were given a word and had to make a new word with the last syllable of that word (말꼬리 잇기) and so on. My teacher also taught me to play the traditional board game Yut, which is a bit like a more complex and dare I say more fun version of Snakes and Ladders. Each day we were given homework exercises, many of which encouraged us to talk with locals. For example, one required me to talk with restaurant staff to find out the specialties of the establishment, their ingredients and cooking methods etc.

learning yut at korean class north korean university

Playing Yut with my teacher Mr Ri.

 

Afternoons consisted of sightseeing in Pyongyang and time for homework and study. On the weekends we made trips outside of Pyongyang to regions such as Mount Myohyang, Haeju and the nearby cities of Sinchon and Sariwon, Pyongsong, and the beach at Nampo. Before concluding the program on our last weekend we finished with a trip to Wonsan and the luscious Mount Kumgang, literally “The Diamond Mountains”. With three weeks in country we were able to see a lot, going all over Pyongyang, and from the country’s East to West Coast, and down to the South near the DMZ.

During the course of this we had plenty of opportunity to interact with local people. Highlights include being dragged to sing in front of maybe at least a hundred Koreans at a Gender Equality Day (a North Korean public holiday) party at Suyang Mountain in Haeju, dancing with old folk at Buyong Pavilion in Haeju at dance celebrations on the same day, swimming with locals at Munsu Water Park on an absolutely packed weekend, and sharing Soju, a Korean liquor, with revellers at a beach near Nampo. Besides that we were able to chat and practice our Korean with restaurant staff and guides at many times during our three week study program.

At the end of the program we each received certificates of completion from the university. They certify that we studied at KHJUE during the time period that we did, and bear the university’s official seal. Our details went on file with the university and the DPRK Ministry of Education. This will be beneficial for all students wishing to pursue further, perhaps long term study on student visas in North Korea in the future.

North Korea University Certificate Alek Sigley

“Confirmation Certificate”, with my details; name, sex, DOB, nationality, and “race”. Main body of text reads “Confirmation that this comrade (dongmu 동무) undertook a short term Korean language course at the Language and Literature Department, Korean Language Section of Kim Hyong Jik University of Education from the 25th of July until the 12th of August 2016”. University seal and date at bottom. The photograph was taken at a North Korean photo studio where they photo-shopped my face onto a default suit and tie template!

 

But the best part of taking the course was no doubt our lovely and kind teachers. Mine, an affable middle aged gentleman named Mr Ri, had many years of experience teaching Korean to foreign students. He had a real knack for communicating the intricacies of Korean grammar and expression through vivid examples and lively gesticulation. Furthermore, he was a warm and friendly teacher who was able to teach me much about not only the Korean language, but also Korean culture and daily life too.

The US student in our beginners’ class, Travis, was taught by the lovely Mrs Chong. Mrs Chong specialises in teaching absolute beginners, and as Travis will attest, did a fine job of introducing Korean pronunciation and the Korean alphabet, Chosongul (known as “Hangul” in the South), as well as basic Korean grammar and vocabulary. Here is what Travis had to say about his teacher:

As one could expect, she really is the best, and I made very quick progress. Even though she doesn’t really speak English herself, you can tell she went out of her way to learn some basic words and to make a program that was catered to me, rather than to the Chinese students she is more accustomed to teaching. She’s a very sweet, motherly person, who grew to care about me very much towards the end, and was tearful on our last day. She told me that she hopes I’ll be able to come back to resume lessons with her soon — and I very much hope the same.

korean language class North Korean university

Travis in class with Mrs Chong.

 

Over the course of three weeks we bonded with our teachers. They told us about their families, careers, and daily lives, as we taught them about ourselves and the countries we came from. They were greatly invested in our progress as students, and did everything they could to help us master Korean. When time came to leave, things even got a little emotional. Mrs Chong clearly didn’t want to let Travis go, not the least because his Korean had been improving steadily. He was the first US student she had taught, and the first friend from the US she had had too. Given the state of relations between the two countries, it’s hard to overemphasise how precious such relationships are. Indeed, on the last day Mr Ri told me that he thought “better relations between countries start with friendships between individuals”. This is at the core of what Tongil Tours is about. Building bridges where there have been walls, through which cross-cultural understanding and friendships can be achieved.

North Korean University Korean Language Teacher

Travis with Mrs Chong at Kim Hyong Jik University of Education, graduation day.

 

The Future: of Studying in North Korean Universities as a Foreign Student

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that for each person who joined our program, the experience was life changing. Getting to know the people and culture of this fascinating and unique country while learning its language at one of its universities for three weeks is something we will each treasure for the rest of our lives. If it wasn’t already, the three week program has made the DPRK a fixture for each of us, and we each have plans to continue studying Korean and learning about the country and its culture.

As for us at Tongil Tours, we will continue to run the program on a yearly basis. For now, we will run one program during the northern hemisphere summer, around July, each year. For the sake of university students, we will time each year’s program to fit in with the summer breaks of universities in not only the northern hemisphere but the southern hemisphere as well– Tongil Tours was founded in Australia after all. We will alternate each year between Kim Hyong Jik University of Education and Kim Il Sung University. Thus even numbered years at KHJUE and odd numbered years at Kim Il Sung University.

We will keep pushing to be able to enjoy the same benefits as the Chinese and other “traditional” foreign students. We hope that in a few years, students on our program will be able to stay in the university dormitories, with local students as guides and language partners and even perhaps on student visas and in longer programs. But one step at a time.

The next Pyongyang Summer Language Program (2017) will be run at Kim Il Sung University from July the 1st to July the 22nd.

So what are you waiting for? Apply now!

Filed Under: The North Korea Blog

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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
Bronwen Dalton
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。開城の参鶏湯と、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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