“Inside North Korea: My Experience as the First Foreigner Allowed into the Country Since 2020 Amid Unusual Regulations”

The first western tourist to visit North Korea in five years has revealed the strict rules he had to follow while inside the isolationist country.

British YouTuber, Mike O’Kennedy, aged 28, recently undertook a five-day journey to an extremely secretive location in the world. This destination became accessible to tourists again after the dictatorship loosened its restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During his visit, he received a tour guide of Rason, a unique economic zone situated near the borders of China and Russia. Rason stands out as one of the limited areas open for tourists to explore.

Throughout his exploration, Mike encountered numerous peculiar occurrences. For instance, he visited a bottled water factory that appeared to be devoid of any workers. Moreover, he witnessed school children showcasing a performance, including a song and dance dedicated to their revered leader, Kim Jong Un.

Before arriving in the country, Mike and his tour group, which included visitors from France, Germany and Australia,  were required to keep their window blinds closed to prevent them from seeing the country from the air.

The trip also had to be planned months in advance by a tour company, and at the border he was asked to list every electronic device in his possession.

He explained: ‘That list had to match our items on the way out, not because they’re worried about what we might take with us, but because they’re concerned about what we might leave behind.

‘You’re not allowed to bring anything that could be considered politically sensitive such as a book about North Korea or a USB containing external political content.’

North Korea is a highly centralised totalitarian state. 

Despite being one of the poorest countries in the world, it maintains one of the largest militarise and devotes significant resources to its illicit nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. 

There’s no phone signal, no internet, and no cash machines. 

Mike revealed at the North Korean border his passport was stamped and he was asked to list every electronic device in our possession.

Tourists aren’t allowed to interact with locals, use the bathroom without permission or go on solo walks.

He added that he always had three North Korean guides accompanying him at all times, as well as a a photographer and a driver and despite their friendly demeanour, he couldn’t shake the feeling he was being ‘watched at all time.’

‘A couple of times I even had to let them know when I wanted to use the bathroom,’ Mike told the BBC. ‘I’ve never had to do that anywhere in the world.’ 

In a video posted to YouTube, Mike is seen trying to open a window in his hotel bedroom before realising it’s been sealed shut.

During the trip Mike he was brought to feed some deer in a park, a bank and a water factory.  

He said: ‘I’ve got a feeling there’s not going to be a lot of human interaction on this trip makes me very.’

At one point during a guided tour around a mineral water factory, Mike couldn’t help but notice the lack of workers, or any people whatsoever in the building. 

Speaking to his guide he asked: ‘You said this was a factory, were are all the factory workers? The people working here?’

The guide responded asking what day of the week was it, before adding ‘Saturday?’

To which Mike responded: ‘The day today is Thursday.’   

Later the content creator revealed that towns were filled with government propaganda posters including one billboard that read ‘unwavering loyalty’.   

Elsewhere Mike explained that one of the first things that struck him about the country was the ‘sheer amount of farmland’ which he was told was fertilised using locals own ‘bodily waste.’

He explained: ‘With 80 percent of North Korea covered in mountains every available piece of useable land is dedicated to farming.

‘This isn’t just due to necessity but also stems from the country’s core ideology of self-reliance which prioritises producing as much of its own food as possible rather than depending on imports.

‘We were also told that the country doesn’t use any form of chemical fertiliser the residents are asked to collect their own bodily waste which is then taken to the fields and used as organic fertiliser.’

Despite the amount of farmland he claimed he didn’t see any farm machinery or harvesting equipment around during his two hour drive through the countryside.  

He added: ‘I reckon I saw about 20 people in that time, not a lot of people, no cars, maybe like one or two taxis in that whole journey.’  

Mike claimed that Rason was a form of ‘experiment by the North Koreans’ to introduce some form of capitalism into the country.

One of the guides explained: ‘Rason is a special economic zone which invites foreign investment, so we have a lot of Russian and Chinese companies that are doing business here.

‘It gives Northeast China easy access to the port and gives the Russians access to a port that isn’t frozen in the region and it also gives um the DPRK the opportunity to earn hard foreign currency which they can then put into social programs that are used to prop up the rest of the country.’

Mike was acutely aware of the special treatment that he and his fellow tourists were getting while in the country but he couldn’t help but shake the ‘strange atmosphere’ he was experiencing due to the limited and controlled access he had to local people. 

He explained: ‘Strange atmosphere here in North Korea and it’s one I fully expected. I mean there’s quite literally, other than the group that I’m with, no one here. It’s strange.

‘Also finding it incredibly strange to like not be able to just go and do my own thing in the morning. I won’t be able to wake up and go for a walk, won’t be able to wake up and go and have food. 

‘You’re just always always with the four guides, four people watching us at all times.’ 

However despite the uneasy feeling, on one of the nights Mike and his group got a little taste of home as they were brought to a bar to try some North Korean beer called soju.   

Next Mike was invited to a secondary school in Rason to speak to some students who were learning English. 

Having a conversation with one of the female students she revealed some day she would like to visit England to practice her English.

When he asked her what she likes about the countryside, she replied: ‘Under the wise leadership of our fatherly marshal Kim Jong Un the countryside has been changing. New houses were built and also a gymnasium, park and swimming pool.’

Elsewhere Mike was invited to watch dozens of enthusiastic children from Rason perform a song and dance dedicated to leader Kim Jong Un, which the YouTuber revealed was ‘weird’ but ‘better than the opening of the Paris Olympics.’

The show included futuristic space costumes, a light show, visuals of rockets and the children danced and sang for a room full of 20 people. 

Mike concluded: ‘Almost every song that comes out of the DPRK is, as expected, a tool of worship toward the country’s current or former leaders.

‘The recurring theme throughout this trip was the utter devotion people had towards Kim Jong Un, while I’m fully aware that they probably don’t have much choice in the matter since openly speaking out against the leadership would lead to arrest, the public image of Kim Jong-un is more than that of a leader, to them he’s a god.’

Since Mike’s trip to the country it has been reported that North Korea has put a sudden ‘pause’ on its Western tourist drive.

Travel groups offering Britons adventures inside the country report that trips to Rason have been put on hold after the country tentatively reopened its doors to foreign visitors last month.

Young Pioneer Tours, a group that ‘specialises in taking you to places your mother would rather you stay away from’, advised holidaymakers to refrain from booking flights ‘until we have more information’ on Wednesday.

The decision to ‘pause’ visits to the country comes as a shock, with travel agencies reporting that their Korean partners ‘have no more information themselves’ at this stage.

Unnamed operators told the BBC that trips to the experimental special economic zone of Rason had been ‘more restricted’ since reopening, with fewer opportunities to engage with the locals and internet access not available.