Exploring North Korea from south of the DMZ – NKNews Podcast Ep. 237

When North Korea imposed strict pandemic border controls in Jan. 2020, the country simultaneously closed its door to international tourists and suspended a growing industry that brought in hundreds of thousands of travelers in 2019 alone. Yet while it’s unclear when the country will reopen, there’s still one way to explore North Korea as a tourist — by visiting border areas on the South Korean side. This week, North Korean specialists and tour guides join the podcast to discuss how travelers can tour North Korea during the pandemic without ever stepping foot in the country. They share their experiences visiting the once open China-North Korea border, note the best places to look into the DPRK near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and preview the itinerary for an upcoming NK News tour to border areas. This week’s episode features NK News founder Chad O’Carroll (@chadocl), Director of Korea Risk Group Andrei Lankov and Koryo Tours manager Gergő Váczi. More details about the NK News tour “North Korea From a Near Distance,” scheduled for Sept. 23 to Oct. 2, 2022, are available here. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot (@JaccoZed) exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.