I am so excited to finally be able to take you on a trip to North Korea. In this 3-part episode, I take you on a tour to North Korea so you can experience yourselves what a North Korea tour is like - plus some extra insights from me throughout, too!

Thank you to my Patrons and to the Koryo Tours gang for your constant support.

NOTE: North Korea borders are once again CLOSED indefinitely. Rason tours are now suspended. I will be posting updates on my Instagram & all other platforms. (@zoediscovers / @zoediscoversnk).

🔗 North Korea Tours - https://koryogroup.com/tours/dprk-north-korea/group

🔗 Read about my first trip here - https://koryogroup.com/blog/back-in-north-korea-the-return-to-rason

🔗 Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/zoediscovers

🔗 Listen on YouTube - https://youtu.be/4NPtU7ORW0M

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On this episode of Discover North Korea I catch up with you all on what on earth has been going on, as well as giving you a bit of an inside scoop on life working in North Korea tourism. Hint: it’s been a bit crazy.

Tours to Rason -

https://koryogroup.com/tours/dprk-north-korea/group

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North Korea has been closed for 5+ years. And we all waited for it to open. Finally, now the day has come. Well, is coming. Rason will open on the 20th Feb and maybe Pyongyang soon after, let's hope.

For now, I chat to special guest, friend, and colleague Greg who just got back from Rason in North Korea after being invited there on a special delegation.

Tours start on the 20th Febuary, tours open for booking that I'm leading in March are as follows;

March 1-8 (from Beijing)

https://koryogroup.com/tours/koryo-rason-north-korea-budget-tour-beijing

March 19-25 (from Yanji)

https://koryogroup.com/tours/koryo-rason-north-korea-tour-yanji-long

Want to support Greg or see more of him? Check out his Unseen Hungary Tour, a special tour to Hungary designed especially by the man himself.

https://koryogroup.com/tours/unseen-hungary

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I chat with Veronika who was one of the Russians to visit North Korea recently and who posted her trip on social media. She tells us all about her trip to North Korea!

NOTE: The North Korean borders are NOT yet open. Some limited Russian tourist groups are currently permitted to go in only. Sign up to this newsletter or WhatsApp group for border opening updates.

My biggest thanks to Veronika for spending her time for this episode, and forever jealous of your visit!

Check out Veronika's page on the links below. I love the aesthetic!

@nikakochetkova / https://www.instagram.com/nikakochetkova

Check out my North Korea borderlands vlogs on YouTube, full series out now! ->

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8I7OHw5_cDNUZjngE6c3NNFgt5i8eF-t&si=xqc3Dyon-V6Uc5nW

Can't wait any longer to see North Korea for yourself? Check out the North Korea From a Near Distance tour and get $150 USD discount with code ZoeDMZ!

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The podcast is back after a non-deliberate break! A little update from me and about the podcast in the future.

Next full episode coming out next week.

North Korean borders are not yet open to tourism. Sign up to this newsletter or WhatsApp group for border opening updates.

Can't wait any longer? Check out the North Korea From a Near Distance tour and get $150 USD discount with code ZoeDMZ!

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The last in this series* and we go out with a bang! I chat with Greg, Lesley, and Peter about a very unique trip to South Korea - one truly like no other. That you can be part of this year, too!

*Don't worry, I'm just taking a break and will be back in mid-September time :). I'll be back after a trip and also with another podcast in the making... watch this space!

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Follow me on;

- Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea

- TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea

- YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea

Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours

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Thanks to my Patrons!!!

Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers

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Links from the show;

https://koryogroup.com/tours/greg-vaczi-s-dmz-adventure

Leslie Instagram/Flickr @foliopix

#northkorea #dprk #southkorea

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The second part in the 2-part episode "Inside the North Korean Countryside". In this episode, we head to a few key spots in the North Korean countryside known for their beauty or indeed because they're hardly known at all and worth a mention...

More details of each of these in the Travel Guides section on koryogroup.com (links below).

Places we cover;

Pakyon Falls

Ryongmun Caves

Ulim Waterfall

Samil Lagoon

Sinphyong

Lake Sijung

Sijung Beach

Pujon Highlands

Pujon Stone River

Chongsokjong

DMZ

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Follow me on;

- Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea

- TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea

- YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea

Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours

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Thanks to my Patrons!!!

Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers

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Links from the show;

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/197182/chongsokjong-kyongju-from-the-series-eight-views-of-korea-chosen-hakkei-keishu-sosekitei

https://koryogroup.com/travel-guides/north-korea-dprk

#northkorea #dprk #discovernorthkorea

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In this 2-part episode, I delve into the North Korean countryside to give an overview on what the North Korean countryside has to offer. This first episode is all about mountains; North Korea's most famous mountain ranges. Indeed, of the 6 famous mountains on the Korean Peninsula - 5 of them lie in the northern half. So, there's a lot to cover!

A lot of this information was taken from Koryo Tours' North Korea Travel Guides section, a comprehensive online travel guide into North Korea.

Contact me with your questions & guest recommendations on [email protected].

Follow me on;

-> Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea

-> TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea

-> YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea

Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours

Thanks to my Patrons!!!

Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers

Links from the show;

Aim High in Creation Watch & Competition - https://koryostudio.com/films/aim-high-in-creation/ / https://koryostudio.com/blog/Aim-High-In-Creation-Competition

Paektusan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-paektu-north-korea-north-korea-travel-guide

Chilbosan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-chilbo-north-korea-north-korea-travel-guide

Kuwolsan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-kuwol-kuwolsan-north-korea-travel-guide

Myohyangsan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-myohyang-north-korea-north-korea-travel-guide

Kumgangsan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-kumgang-north-korea-north-korea-travel-guide

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I chat with Nick Bonner, Koryo Studio director and producer/director of several movies & documentaries inside North Korea. He's the go-to man for facilitating these kinds of projects (and much more) in North Korea, and a film he co-directed also won an award a the Pyongyang International Film Festival. He's also the associate producer of Aim High in Creation, a film by an Australian movie producer Anna Broinowski. The film is newly available on Vimeo and there is also a competition running where you get the opportunity to rent/download it online! Listen until the end for how to enter... (or just skip to the link at the bottom!).

Massive thanks to Nick for the incredibly interesting chat!!!! Show him some love over at Koryostudio.com or email [email protected] for more info on art purchases and other projects in North Korea.

Contact me with your questions & guest recommendations on [email protected].

Follow me on;

-> Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea

-> TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea

-> YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea

Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours

Thanks to my Patrons!!!

Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers

Links from the show -

MOVIES/DOCUMENTARIES

Aim High in Creation / Comrade Kim Goes Flying / Crossing the Line / A State of Mind / Michael Palin in North Korea / Game of Their Lives; https://koryostudio.com/films/

Vimeo; https://vimeo.com/comradekimgoesflying

NORTH KOREAN ART

Map of Pyongyang (Gareth Fuller); https://koryostudio.com/purchase/original/tourist-map-of-pyongyang/

"Wash Your Hands"; https://koryostudio.com/purchase/original/lets-wash-our-hands/

Silence; https://koryostudio.com/sale/original/silence/

COMPETITION

Win Aim High in Creation; https://koryostudio.com/blog/Aim-High-In-Creation-Competition

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What makes the North East so special? I chat with my colleague and friend Pete who works as a freelance tour guide for Koryo Tours (pre-pandemic..!) and visited the DPRK 6 times alone in 2019. He first visited North Korea on a simple trip to Pyongyang but decided that he needed to go back to explore more.

Pete also gave a really interesting insight into an SEZ that came up as a topic in the Rason episode.

He's also an avid podcast listener, so thanks for the constant support Pete and was lovely having you on the show! Until next time!

Contact me with your questions & guest recommendations on [email protected].

Follow me on;

-> Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea

-> TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea

-> YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea

Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours

Thanks to my Patrons!!!

Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers

Links from the show;

Pierre Depont's Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/pierredepont/

The Real North Korea (Andrei Lankov); https://www.amazon.com/Real-North-Korea-Politics-Stalinist/dp/0199390037

More info on the KFA: https://korea-dpr.com/

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