When leaving North Korea, you can link up with the Trans-Siberian at Dandong, China. To make this connection you need to reserve your tickets with CITS (China International Travel Company) or KITC in Beijing beforehand.

Entering the destination

Entering the country
Immigration is rather severe, but straightforward, as the major hurdle is getting the visa in the first place. Your guides will take your passports for the duration of your stay in North Korea. This is totally routine, so do not worry about them being lost.

Air
The national airline Air Koryo, running a fleet of old Soviet Tupolevs, flies to Beijing, Shenyang and Vladivostok. The most popular route is from Beijing, from where flying time to Pyongyang is just over an hour. There are three flights per week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in each direction, and a return flight costs €300. The international flight codes are JS151 and JS152. The weekly flight from Vladivostok is the second most popular; going in both directions every Thursday, while there’s a flight to/from Shenyang on both Wednesday and Saturday. China Southern Airlines has also recently restarted flights from Beijing, currently on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. Pyongyang’s airport code is FNJ.

Air Koryo (10-6501 1557/1559; fax 6501 2591; Swissotel Bldg, Hong Kong-Macau Center, Dongsi Shitau Lijiao, Beijing 100027) This building adjoins the Swissotel, but the entrance is around the back. You must have a visa before you can pick up your ticket, or Korea International Travel Company (KITC) can pick it up for you (it charges 10% commission).

Costs
As a tourist, North Korea is no budget destination. Opportunities to cut costs by staying in youth hostels do not exist. As well as paying for your bed and board in advance, you will also have to pay for two guides and a driver, making group tourism one of the few measures that can save you money.

As a rough guide, solo travelers should bank on paying about €250 per day for guides, hotel and full board. This can be reduced to around €130 per day if you go as part of a group. Note that the euro and Chinese yuan are the accepted currency for visitors to use and that small change in both currencies (euro coins and Yuan in denominations of under 50) is a huge advantage as most places can’t change big notes.

Once in North Korea, the only major expenses will be the souvenirs and other gifts that are on sale at every tourist attraction. Apart from evening drinks and telephone/fax costs, there is little opportunity to spend your money elsewhere. It’s customary to tip the guides at the end of each tour, so budget a minimum of €20 per guide for this.

History
The ancient history of the Korean peninsula can be traced to the Neolithic Age, when Turkic-Manchurian-Mongol peoples migrated into the region from China. The first agriculturally based settlements appeared around 6000 B.C. Some of the larger communities of this era were established along the Han-gang River near modern-day Seoul, others near Pyongyang and Pusan. According to ancient lore, Korea’s earliest civilization, known as Choson, was founded in 2333 B.C. by Tan-gun.

In the 17th century, Korea became a vassal state of China and was cut off from outside contact until the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895. Following Japan’s victory, Korea was granted independence. By 1910, Korea had been annexed by Japan, which developed the country but never won over the Korean nationalists, who continued to agitate for independence.