Category: North Korea

North Korea is located in East Asia which occupied northern half of Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea and it is also the largest city in the country. Tumen River and Amnok River act as a border between China and North Korea. The country also shares border with Russia. North Korea is the most militarized country of the world with 9,495,000 active, paramilitary and reserve persons. The country has nuclear weapon and space program which is active. Because of the secretive nature of the government and unwillingness to allow foreigners in to the country, it is considered as the most isolated nation.

South Korea and North Korea claimed control on Korean Peninsula leading to the Korean War, 1950. Officially, both countries are in war against each other as they never signed a peace treaty. Both Koreas shared traditional cultures but after the division of Korean Peninsula in 1945, they developed their own different cultural forms. North Korea itself described as the self-reliant state. North Korea recognized the deceased president Kim II-sung as the ‘Eternal President’ and he was not replaced by another person. The president’s office is held ceremonially by the deceased president and Kim Jong-il, son of the eternal president is the head of the state. North Korea is single-party state.

North Korea has highly industrialized and centralized command. Tourism is organized by a Korean International Travel Company which is owned by the state. The population of North Korea is about 24 million and the country has linguistically and ethnically homogenous population. The country consists of very small number of Japanese, South Korean, European, Chinese and Vietnamese minorities. North Korean speaks Korean language with slight dialect differences between both Koreas. Buddhism and Confucianism are the major religion of North Korea. Christianity, Korean shamanism and Cheondoism are the other religious minorities.

Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea is with several interesting tourist destinations such as Korean War Museum, Ryugyong Hotel, Arch of Triumph, Children’s Palace, USS Pueblo and Juche Tower. Wonsan is famous for the beautiful plantations of pine and crystal clear water. In this port city, you can enjoy places such as Myongsasimni, Mount Kumgang, Songdowon and Chongsokjon. Mount Kumgang is a best place for mountain hiking so that the tourists can enjoy the scenic beauty of the location. In Gaeseong district, you can find some tourist spots such as Namdaemun Gate and Seonjukgyo Bridge. Other attractions in Gaeseong are twin tomb of Gongminwangreung which was built for King Gongmin and wife and Gaeseong History museum.

Mount, Baekdusan is a dormant volcano which is encircled by peaks from all sides. The attractions here are the rare species of animals which includes bears, tigers and panthers. Geumgangsan diamond mountain area is a tourist heaven with waterfalls, valleys, peaks and ponds. Some of the major tourist destinations of the area are Samilpo Lake, Haegeumgang River, Guryeong Falls and Manmulsang. Myohyang-san is the major tourist spot where you can find ancient temples constructed during eleventh century.