Marc, Through the Looking Glass

My time in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, can be considered as ‘Marc, through the looking glass’. The metaphor of Lewis Carroll’s classic novel, Through the Looking Glass, helps to better illustrate my North Korean experience. In this novel, the protagonist, Alice, wonders what the world is like on the other side of a mirror. Alice is curious about that ‘other’ world, its people and places, its society and relations, and how that world compares and contrasts with her own. To her amazement, Alice is able to pass through the looking glass and experience the different, ‘other’ world for herself. My being able to enter the isolated North Korea is similar to Alice’s looking glass because I was able to pass through a bullet-proof mirror and experience an alternate society, an ‘alien’ way of life, a different world.

Why did I want to go to North Korea? This is a legitimate question. To be pretentious, let's call it my personal fact-finding mission. There was a sense of historical urgency to my desire of seeing North Korea. North Korea is the last remaining vestige of the former Soviet Empire. North Korea is the last remaining relic of the Cold War. Although there are a few other Communist countries, including China, Cuba, and Vietnam, North Korea is considered the most hardline Communist state. Even during Soviet times, North Korea was argued to be more hardline than Russia proper. I wanted to see a way of life, a political system, a state structure that is now dead elsewhere and will probably not return in our lifetimes. North Korea, as it is today, will eventually 'end' whether through war, revolution, or gradual change. Time is running out, so to be able to see the country as it exists today was of necessity.

There was also an aspect of contemporary urgency for my reasons to tour North Korea. Firstly, North Korea is one of the most isolated countries on earth, hence its moniker as 'the hermit kingdom'. Secondly, North Korea is also a part of the so-called 'axis of evil'. North Korea has been labeled a terrorist state since American President George W. Bush’s infamous 2002 speech calling the country, along with Iraq (before the U.S. invasion) and Iran, as constituting an ‘axis of evil’. It has been five years on since this controversial speech, and DPRK remains one of the two remaining members of the axis. And finally, North Korea has been particularly newsworthy due to its controversial nuclear weapons program. North Korea has recently become a global nuclear player with its own nuclear capabilities. The country tested missiles and nuclear bombs throughout 2006. This has been a serious international crisis, provoking international condemnation and the intensification of embargos. This worldwide pressure has also significantly exacerbated the hydroelectric and food crises that have hit the country.

A satellite image showing the hydroelectric shortage in North Korea. Notice the small dot of light for Pyongyang, but a massive blob for Seoul, South Korea.



So to be inside the axis of evil, to see the last Soviet state, to visit the hermit kingdom myself is something that intrigued me. Touring North Korea allowed me the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get inside the axis of evil and see it, feel it, experience it for myself.

I had been thinking of traveling to the so-called hermit kingdom for a couple years. In 2005, upon my return from successful PhD research in South Africa, I wanted to continue travelling and postpone my doctoral student's responsibilities. I came across a feature article on BBC World entitled 'holidays in the axis of evil' with a focus on North Korea. I was immediately interested. The article was engaging, informative, and beyond fascinating. To get a glimpse of this alien country was something a rare few get the opportunity to experience for themselves. The BBC extensively quoted the travel experts on North Korea - Koryo Tours, based in Beijing, China - and provided links to their company website. It was through Koryo Tours that my vague idea of visiting DPRK started to turn into a reality. Unfortunately I couldnt travel to North Korea in 2005, I was too busy with my PhD. But this year, 2007, I committed myself to going.

Getting into North Korea is not an easy process. Entering the country requires much paperwork, applications, even references! My dean graciously wrote a reference letter for me, affirming I was who I said I was, that I was neither a journalist nor photographer, and that I was visiting DPRK for tourism purposes only. It's not like heading off to Florida, England, or Argentina. It's not like I just decided to 'up and leave' for some foreign destination. North Korea does not work that way.

There are only a number of times when foreigners can enter the country throughout the year. North Korea closes its borders to all foreigners during the winter, between early December and mid-February. There are scheduled tour dates for the rest of the year. You have to plan accordingly. This means you have to plan far in advance to meet your allowed target date because of all the paperwork. Even if you complete all the paperwork and get your references in on time, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will be given permission to enter this reclusive state.

Foreigners are only allowed into the country for up to 10 days. Americans are only allowed in for 2 nights. Additionally, Americans are only allowed in during the Mass Games season (April/May, August-October). Americans have only been allowed into DPRK on a handful of occassions, namely 1995, 2002, 2005, and 2007. I had planned for the April Mass Games 9-day tour - which included a visit to Mount Paekdu in the remote north - and thus began the process in January. It took a few months, but I was given permission to pass through the looking glass and embark on an experience so unique as to be unparalleled.

The following is the main picture of Koryo Tours. Koryo Tours was my tour operator. Koryo Tours specializes in tourism to DPRK. It is the oldest tour operator within North Korea having been established in 1993. It is also the main source of information in many travel guides for North Korea having published two DPRK travel guidebooks and featured in Lonely Planet. It has also co-produced three award-winning BBC documentaries on North Korea. Moreover, Koryo Tours does not simply portray DPRK as holiday destination with picturesque sights. It does try to inform our tourists of the reality of North Korea. In fact, it tailors itineraries to make sure one gets as much contact with the Korean people as possible.

If anyone intends on visiting DPRK, plan through Koryo Tours.