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File: DPRK 2013-68_Original.jpg (426.7 KB)
I’ve been twice, once in 2013 and once in 2014. I used Koryo Tours both times. The 2013 trip coincided with Victory Day and we were able to watch the victory day parade
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>>2886829
Technically have since I took a boat ride up the Yalu River which is shared by China and the DPRK. It's surprisingly open, especially compared to the DMZ side. North Korean fishermen come up to the boats and sell stuff to tourists: ginseng liquor, cigarettes, etc. I bought some DPRK currency. Boat ride took us a stone's throw from the riverbank so I got a pretty good look at some run down east bloc architecture, big propaganda murals, and peasants working or just hanging out. North Korean side is lined with guard towers and there were uniformed men with binoculars watching us.
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>>2886892
When I was there in 2014 they took us to a newly opened attraction for tourists (horse stables). There were various vendors about selling tchotchkes and snacks, but none of them had dealt with tourists before. They gave real dprk won notes as change to many of us, instead of tourist notes or hard currency. Before we left, military boarded the bus and the vendors pointed out who received the notes as change, and the notes were confiscated, since tourists aren’t allowed to hold real dprk won. Thankfully I wasn’t pointed out and managed to get mine out of the country. One of my coolest keepsakes from the trip
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