Despite its reputation for not being all that religiously friendly, religious freedom is guaranteed in the constitution of North Korea and there is buddhism in North Korea, all run via the Korean Buddhist Federation. How does religion work in North Korea? We won’t go into a whole rant about this, as we have another article […]

Korean cuisine or more specifically North Korean cuisine is the food made and enjoyed in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). At YPT we have more than a passing interest in the food of Korea, and have written extensively about it. On of our most popular articles was on the ten best North […]

Over the last 10 years or so, South Korea has become more famous for its electronics and North Korea has become famous for, well, other things. But Korean cuisine is the bomb! There are quite a few blogs out there that deal with South Korean cuisine, but Korean food swells way beyond Seoul. North Korean […]

Much like any other country, North Korea has its fair share of holidays, festivals and celebratory days. And much like any tour company specialising in tours to a particular country, we try to take advantage of as many of these as possible. With that in mind, here’s a comprehensive guide to all of the holidays […]

Being a Juche socialist state on the march to communism the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea places enormous importance on its transportation system, but what is North Koreans public transport like? Let’s find out. The North Korean Subway System The Pyongyang Metro is an iconic site that most tourists travel on, but it is far […]

In 2012 Young Pioneer Tours offered our first study programme in North Korea – our Juche Study. This initial trip was quite groundbreaking: it did not only focus on Juche, the state ideology of North Korea, but was also a de facto language study tour. Whilst there have been similar projects since then, very few […]

Introduction to the Ryugyong Hotel The Ryugyong Hotel, also known as the Hotel of Doom, is the tallest building in North Korea. This 105 storey, 330 meters tall building is an unmissable feature of Pyongyang’s skyline, it is the most iconic building in the entire DPRK. Yet, it is an oddity for the fact it […]

This is a follow-up to our piece on how to book an independent tour to North Korea. If you opt for an independent tour to the DPRK you might be thinking “great, I can tailor an itinerary… but where do I start?” The easy option is to think about what you’d like to focus on and contact us. Do you want to see factories? Schools? Monuments? Enjoy leisure activities? Would you […]

Dandong is genuinely one of my favourite cities in China for a number of reasons; the great weather in the summer, the beautiful views of North Korea, the excellent food, and frankly the utter sureness of the place at times. Can North Koreans leave North Korea? We’re often led to believe they can’t, but stroll […]

About North Korea The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, abbreviated as DPRK, and commonly referred to as North Korea, is a country in East Asia, located in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital is Pyongyang, the country’s largest city by both land area and population. The Amrok River and the Tumen River […]