There are a few important concepts to learn about when it comes to North Korean state ideologies. The most important is probably Juche (‘self-reliance’), created by Kim Il Sung. Secondary to this is Songun – ‘military first’ – which was created by Kim Jong Il. Songun: ‘military first’ “Although we cannot give sweets to our […]

It has now been 74 years since the Korean peninsula was split through the middle following the end of World Word II in 1945. Since that time the two countries have not only been completely estranged politically and geographically, but also linguistically. Three quarters of a century is a lengthy amount of time and it is […]

Five years ago, our team at Young Pioneer Tours ran our first borderlands research tour. The trip had us driving along the North Korean and Chinese border, much of which used to be part of the historic Koryo nation. We had also had a lot of interest in us running a tour that would see […]

The “Sariwŏn Folklore street” was constructed during Kim-Jong-il’s rule. Built to display an ideal picture of ancient Korea, it includes buildings in the “historical style” and a collection of ancient Korean cannons. Although it is considered an inaccurate romanticized recreation of an ancient Korean street, it is frequently used as a destination for foreigners on […]

In some countries membership of political parties is a big deal. Also, in order to qualify you have to be one of the ‘ruling political parties’, as otherwise there would be multiple country listings. In this article we will go through the Top 7 largest political parties as updated in 2019. Remember all the old […]

Does the tipping system exist in North Korea? Is tipping obligatory in North Korea? If so, how much and to whom? We are very glad that you asked, as these are some of the many questions that we get asked frequently here at Young Pioneer Tours. The short answer is yes, tipping is expected in […]

North Korean ginseng is the stuff of legends, quite literally. The DPRK itself is no stranger to unfounded myths and anecdotes. One such story is that they once owed a debt to then-Czechoslovakia (or Bulgaria, depending on who’s telling the tale) that they paid off with North Korean ginseng. Although Czechoslovakia and/or Bulgaria were not […]

We at YPT have an inordinate fondness for creating arbitrary lists of our favourite things: bars, silly countries and even Soviet cars all have their own articles, and in that spirit we now bring you a look at the remnants of Pyongyang Castle and four other ‘national treasures’ of the DPRK. These national treasures are […]

Introduction The International Friendship Exhibition (국제친선전람관) also known as the International Friendship Gift House, is one of the most iconic and must see sights of North Korea. The exhibition was first opened on August 26 1978 and holds over 250,000 gifts presented to either Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Suk (Kim Il Sung’s first wife), […]

How to get from Seoul to Pyongyang? You can’t be a North Korean travel agency – or involved with Korean tourism – without providing up-to-date and on-the-pulse information about travel to the aforementioned destination. It is with this in mind that we bring you the not-so-simple guide to travel between Seoul and Pyongyang! Can you […]