Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
which has a history of successfully negotiating the North's touchy bureaucracy. Visa
applications from journalists and citizens of any current targets of North Korean ire
(frequently Japan and the United States) are sometimes rejected. The fairly substan-
tial tour fees will usually include transportation between North Korea and Beijing,
China, as well as all accommodations, food, and guides, since tourists are required
to be accompanied at nearly all times. Trips typically take in Pyongyang, the capital,
and some nearby sights but can be tailored to the individual. Many try to time their
arrival with events like the annual Arirang Festival mass games, during which North
Korean officials tend to be more receptive of outsiders.
For a brief spell it was possible to visit North Korea directly from the South via
two tours run by South Korea's Hyundai Group, one to the scenic Kumgang Moun-
tains near the east coast and the other to the North Korean city of Gaesong, just north
of Seoul. Both were basically day trips that were immensely popular with South
Koreans and widely hailed as a concrete example of the two countries' warming ties,
but they have been suspended since late 2008 due to deteriorating relations and an in-
cident in which a South Korean tourist who allegedly went astray was shot and killed
by a North Korean soldier. There's regular talk of the tours being revived, but at the
time of writing both remained on hold. Check with the Hyundai Asan Company (tel.
02/3669-3000,
www.hyundai-asan.com
)
or the Korea Tourism Organization (nation-
wide hotline 1330,
www.visitkorea.or.kr
) for the latest details.
One month would permit you to circulate virtually the entire country at a reasonable
pace, perhaps combining the two-week itinerary above with a trip through the southw-
est—stopping in the major cities of Gwangju and Jeonju—to the port of Mokpo, where you
could board a ferry to Jeju Island to spend some time there before flying back to Seoul. If
you're already set on living in a particular destination and feel you've finished exploring it
fully or simply don't want to do much traveling, the extra time could be used to enroll in
Korean language classes at an institution such as Seoul's Yonsei University, which would
give you a big head start when it comes time to live here.
