North Korea: What to Know Before You Go

Cuisine Highlights

• Naengmyeon, cold buckwheat noodles in icy beef or radish broth; Pyongyang is their birthplace; now iconic throughout Korea but originated here
• Sinsollo, elaborate royal hot pot of meat, vegetables, fish, and eggs cooked in a charcoal-heated brass vessel; a Joseon-era aristocratic dish
• Dogak-guk, a thin soup made with radish and beef; simple, clean, and typical of North Korean home cooking
• Korean kimchi and fermented vegetables, central to all meals; North Korean kimchi tends to be less spicy than its southern counterpart

Traditions & Festivals

• Day of the Sun (April 15), birthday of founder Kim Il-sung; the most important holiday with mass games, fireworks, and mandatory celebrations nationwide
• Arirang Mass Games, extraordinary synchronized performance of tens of thousands of people forming images with cards and choreography; held periodically in Pyongyang
• Chuseok (autumn harvest festival), Korean mid-autumn harvest celebration with ancestral rites and traditional foods; observed on both sides of the Korean peninsula

Language & Communication

Korean (Chosŏn'gŭl) is the official language. No independent travel is permitted, all visits are conducted exclusively through state-approved guided tours.

Guides accompany visitors at all times. Note: North Korea is one of the world's most closed and repressive states, most Western governments strongly advise against travel; the US bans its citizens from traveling there.

Individual tourists from most countries have limited or no access.

Cultural Etiquette

• Never photograph military personnel, poverty, or anything that could be construed as unflattering to the state, cameras are monitored and images can be deleted
• Bow respectfully at statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, this is mandatory and non-compliance can cause serious problems for your guides
• Do not bring religious materials, South Korean media, or items critical of the government into the country
• Everything you see and do is carefully managed, maintain respect and composure regardless of personal views about the political system