The Time I Went to North Korea

I celebrated the millennium New Year three times. In chronological order, I celebrated the traditional ‘Western’ New Year on 31 December, I celebrated the Lunar New Year in North Korea, and then I celebrated Thai Songran in Bangkok. Each place was very different but the three together made for a great start to the 2000s. Perhaps my North Korean holiday was the most memorable, for many reasons.

I was living in Seoul, South Korea when I saw a very small advert in a local English language newspaper. I could easily have overlooked it. It was very inconspicuous. It advertised a 4 day and 3 night trip to Mt Kumgang in the Kwang-Do region of North Korea. It was organised by Hyundai and was reasonably priced, for such an opportunity, at 450,000 Won – about $400. (I later found out that it had been heavily subsidised for the ‘foreigners’ who only paid about 1/6 of the cost). On an impulse, I called and booked a place. I gave it no real thought at all.

When I told my friends and colleagues they were all interested and some tried to book a slot. But all the places had gone immediately. I later found out there were only 25 ‘foreigner’ places, and that it was the first ever fee-paying trip open for foreigners to visit North Korea for recreation. It was pure luck that I got one of the places.

When I told my family they were less impressed. Needless to say, they were considering a lot of factors that had not even entered my mind!

On the day of the trip we were to meet downtown in Seoul and take a bus to Donghae Port, where we were to board a cruise ship to sail north. Although we were travelling to North Korea we were not permitted to stay over night in the DPRK. This meant that we would be based on the ship, at sea overnight, and make daily trips from there, passing through passport control each time. The contrast between conditions on land, and then onboard, created quite a juxtaposition.

I was totally unprepared for what met me when I arrived at the meeting point. There were lines of journalists and news crews, including representatives of the BBC. I literally had to walk a gauntlet of journalists to get into the building, and then inside there were several more journalists interviewing us about our upcoming trip. I was bemused as I still hadn’t realised the wider significance of, and interest in, the trip.

After check-in I met the other 24 ‘foreigners’ on the trip with me. We were given our paperwork and itinerary. There were also a large number of South Korean citizens on the same trip but we didn’t really see them until we were on the ship. Their reasons for travelling were more poignant.

In 1953 (following the Korean War) an armistice between North and South Korea was signed, setting up the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (ROK and DPRK) and preventing either side entering the air, ground, or sea areas under the control of the other side. Whilst hostilities ended, another consequence was to separate families who were on differing sides of the 38th parallel, or DMZ. By 2000 these families had been separated for the best part of half a century. The Lunar New Year is a time when people remember and respect their ancestors and heritage. Consequently, this millennium trip was a very emotive opportunity for the South Koreans accompanying us.

Our paperwork included a visa paper for entry (to be kept separate from our passports), an identification lanyard to be worn whilst in North Korea, and a list of rules and regulations. Some of my travelling companions were offended by the rules. As all countries have rules about behaviour I didn’t find them to be extraordinary or onerous to comply with. However, one of the less significant rules was to later impact upon our visit. The rules, and sanctions were:

• No photography of military services or personnel, or the Port – fine of $50
• No littering for environmental preservation - fine of $15
• Smoking outside of a designated area - fine of $15
• Urination outside of a designated area - fine of $10
• Damage to the natural environment (eg graffiti) - fine of $50
• Taking plants, animals, rocks or soil - fine of $25
• Carrying forbidden articles (weapons and drugs etc) or materials - fine of $100
• Hindering inspection - fine of $10

In addition to the rules, our cameras and videos were also checked. There was a limit on the zoom that our cameras could have – below 160mm; below 24 power zoom for camcorders and below 10 power zoom for binoculars. We were also forewarned that Jangjeon Port was an “important strategic port for North Korean military. Therefore, taking a picture, or observing with binoculars in port or also in the tour bus is strictly forbidden.” Finally, we were told that we must not share food with any local people. This was to become the key ‘rule’ to influence our trip.

(After the trip I kept the copy of my paper visa tucked into my passport for safekeeping. I forgot it was there, and when it came to my next trip -for Thai Songran - it caused quite some discussion with the ROK passport agent. He asked, incredulously and with some suspicion, if I’d really been to North Korea and what my opinion of it was. Diplomatically, I replied it was very interesting but not as good as South Korea! He told me to remove the paper and not present it at any other passport agencies. Probably excellent advice.)

When we first arrived we were reminded of the rules and taken by boat to the landing area at Jangjeon Port. Here we filed through an official walkway, with visa papers to hand, and lanyards around our necks. Then we boarded a convoy of minibuses to take us on our ‘tour.’ The cruise ship had provided packed lunches for us, as we would spend the full day in North Korea and only return for the overnight onboard. It was important that we returned all of our food, or its empty wrappers, back to the ship at the end of the day.

On Day 1 we visited Haegumgang Beach and Samilpo Lake, with a trip to the Mt Kumgang Hot Spa in the afternoon. As we drove through the countryside there were several striking features.

First, was the level of security accompanying us. There were North Korean escorts lining the route, whether we were driving or walking. They were spaced about 15 feet apart and monitored our movements. They were all beautifully presented, well nourished and extremely polite. They would give instructions, for example “when you turn the corner you can only take photos to the right, not the left. Do not point your camera left.” On turning the corner, there would be fabulous views out to sea on the right with military installations on the bank to the left. This was before digital cameras and if they felt you had not listened they would remove the film from your camera, or rewind and video a view straight up at the sky over the previous video footage.

Secondly, we did see quite a lot of military installations and vehicles etc., but as a non-military person their specific use and implications meant little to me.

Thirdly, the greyness and poverty of the regular people, not our escorts, was striking. We drove alongside a train line and saw that most of the wooden sleepers had been removed (for firewood we speculated). We saw a few people on bikes, and with oxen and several people walking. We were there in February and it was snowy and icy and cold. However, the people were not well dressed and wrapped up for the weather. They appeared under-nourished and I saw one teenaged boy walking, barefoot, along the train track. It seemed impossibly cold. The overall impression was of grey drabness. A bit like a scene from a post apocalyptic film although this was reality for the regular people we saw.

Finally, you had to appreciate the natural beauty of the place. The viewpoints that we were taken to were very beautiful and scenic. I did take many photographs of the permitted views – and didn’t lose any of my films to the escorts!

Lake Samil was heavily frozen and we undertook quite a treacherous walk across it and over the mountainside around it, including bouncy rope bridges across ravines. Even with crampons on our boots it was very slippery. I was also quite anxious that the ice might crack underneath us as we trekked across the lake.

The time in the hot spa was interesting because this was our first real opportunity to talk frankly with the South Korean women. The women and men went to separate sides of the spa and the water was very warm – even though we were outside in the snowy air. As we relaxed we could talk to our fellow ‘holidaymakers’ and find out just how important the trip was to them. It was more of a pilgrimage than an adventure for them.

On Day 2 we visited the Kuryong Waterfall and the Moranbong circus.

The trek up to the Kuryong Falls started at the bottom of the Okryu Valley. It was a long hard climb, taking about 3 and a half hours to get up to the top and about 2 hours to come back down again. The winter wonderland scene of frozen waterfalls and snowy mountains was quite literally breathtaking. At some points the frozen pathway was very narrow and I was quite anxious I might slip off the side of the mountain!

When I finally arrived back at the bottom of the Valley I was very tired and looked around for somewhere to sit down whilst waiting for the rest of the tour group. There was a group of about 30 Korean men, all wearing turquoise coloured matching outfits. They were spread out in groups and some had found a fallen tree branch to sit on. One of them offered me a place on their log to rest, and also shared some warm ginseng tea with me – for strength. I asked them whether they’d been up to see the falls yet (as they looked particularly fresh and energetic). It turned out that they had been up and down several times. I felt a bit foolish, as I’d only managed the trip once.

They told me they were South Korean commandos accompanying us for our safety. They had been up and down the trail hacking the ice on the pathway to make it less sheer. They told me they were living in shipping containers just off the coast and would rotate out of the placement after a set period of time. It explained why they were all wearing the same outfits – I thought it was a team-building thing. The shipping containers did not seem like a very hospitable base – although they said it was worse in the summer when they became almost unbearably hot inside.

In the evening, we saw the Moranbong Acrobatic Show. Beyond the skills and feats of the gymnasts one amazing thing was the interaction between the North and South Koreans. There were some moments when audience participation was called for and at those moments everyone had tears in their eyes as people from the 2 sides of the 38th parallel interacted and collaborated.

Following the show we all boarded our minibuses to return to the ship. However, we were not allowed to leave and were held on the buses for a couple of hours. Initially we didn’t realise there was anything wrong, but as time passed it became clear that there was an issue. It transpired that somebody had been seen to throw a Choco Pie from their packed lunch out of the bus window to a local North Korean resident. This was strictly against the rules that we had been educated on. Originally, the guards requested the person come forward to admit their culpability. Because nobody did so everybody was requested to present either their Choco Pie, or its empty wrapper as proof of innocence. The guards searched minibus-by-minibus, passenger-by-passenger. It was obviously quite a tense time because we were not allowed to move, and certainly not allowed to leave North Korea.

It wasn’t clear what the consequence would be. Eventually, one lady was identified as the culprit. The atmosphere was very strained whilst our tour leaders tried to negotiate that we all be allowed to leave, including the lady who had thrown the Choco Pie. Initially, this was by no means certain.

Fortunately the combination of the diplomatic skills of our tour guides, the presence of foreigners, and the power of the US dollar ensured a mutually satisfactory ending. Everybody contributed to a collection of dollars, which was given to the guards. We must have raised a sizable, and acceptable, amount of money and eventually we were all allowed to leave, breathing sighs of relief as we drove off.

Once we were safely back on board we called it the International Choco Pie Incident. Whilst it was a flippant title, the relief we all felt cannot be underestimated.

My trip to North Korea was an incredible opportunity and the scenery, both natural and military, was an amazing start to the 2000s.