AdrianBye.com - Latest Comments in Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

sabrinawang — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:18:56 -0000

It is easy to go traveling to North Korea. and it will be worth to do it. the country will bring you back to the years before. For tourists North Korea would like to show really nice and good things about their country. everything infront of the tourits is nice. but it will be easy to tell that it is not true. 3 nights and 4 days tour is enough time for the tour to North Korea. There will be a lot of things to see and visit in North Korea. The tour guide will wake you up at around half past 6 every morning.

A lot of travel agency in Dandong city of China organize the tour to North Korea. it is also easy to apply visa through the travel agency. The price is reasonalble as well. if you go traveling to North korea by train.and you can also see some scenery on the train from Dandong to Pyongyang. On the train you are not alowed to take any photos.

To apply traveling visa of North Korea is EASY. There only two steps to apply for traveling to North Korea.
1.send the personal information(14days before the tour during Arirang festival 5-7 days before the tour).
2.come to Dandong one day before the tour. Hand in your passport and passport photos (2)
then the second day you can start the tour in the morning at the customs of Dandong
recommend website:http://www.explorenorthkore...

It is safe to take tour to North Korea. if you respect their country. you should not bring any books and reading information about political. and don't mime the gesture of the statue.
don't say any thing bad about that country any time any where in North Korea.
tourits are looked after really well. food hotel verything is nice.
i am from Dandong city it is the border city just next to North Korea. a lot of tourists come to Dandong just because they want to go traveling to North Korea. Dandong city mixed chinese and korean culture together a lot of korean people and a lot of korean restaurants. on the street almost very sign of the shop and restaurants has two languanges chinese and korean. it is very interesting city.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

sergei nester — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:07:07 -0000

Great photos - many of them are very nicely composed

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Joearmy — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:04:39 -0000

Great photos. I realize they are only what you were allowed to see, but it always gets me when I see how things *could* be. As to proping up the government with the money you spent as a tourist, I'm glad that you posted the pictures so that I--and many, many others--don't have to. Thanks.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Porfirio — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:34:25 -0000

Hi Adrian!!!!
Wonderfull pictures!!! and gives a nice image of North Korea... I share the compleint for the lack of pictures of other common areas..??? Thanks for sending your mail and fotos. I will be glad to meet you when you come back to Dominican and tell me more about your trip, especialmente de Kora del Norte
Un abrazo y que la pases bien
Porfirio

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Evonne — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:33:31 -0000

Adrian and/or Richard, can you elaborate more on what the North Koreans you met said about American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee? How did they become aware of this news?

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

supremenothing — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:28:21 -0000

AMAZING photos! I'm absolutely fascinated with North Korea and always take in anything I can get. Your photos help open the window to the DPRK just a further. There's a clear inherent beauty to the Korean landscape, and I hope that I live to see a day when these richly-cultured people can live without being under the thumb of their oppressive leadership.

Adrian, this my first visit to your blog, and I like it a lot. I'm very fond of the large-sized photo presentation. I'm definitely going to visit again!

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Adrian Bye — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:35:01 -0000

lol @shunted, you're quite the troll!! I certainly don't support North Korea -- quite the opposite and I made that very clear to our guides. I do think its important to see their point of view and not just believe everything everything in the western media -- do you think the west isn't waging a propaganda war of its own? :-) The money spent on the tour is irrelevant as it is so little money, frankly I think we have a bigger impact undermining the regime by demonstrating first hand to the North Korean population that people from the west are nice people and not as we're made out to be by their propaganda machine.

@helmut, excellent trip, you're quite a stud going in by train through russia!

@dan we were told that guy was a lieutenant, I'll defer to your knowledge though.

@rp in general not too much hostiility, i did feel uncomfortable around military as they looked at us in quite an unfriendly manner (you can see that in the photo above). but we were considered special guests and treated as such.

@kelvin lin -- a few military such as that guy allowed us to take photos of them.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

shunted — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:14:44 -0000

I do presume to think that Koreans do want regime change. Even if that assumption is wrong it is immoral to support such an evil regime. Supporting brutal dictatorships is wrong.

They (the hand picked people allowed to talk to you) may view the millions of people imprisoned by the regime as a by product of outsiders but that is irrelevant. No moral person can possibly believe that imprisonment of so many people by the North Korean government is justifiable.

It's great that you patiently listened to the people and were respectful and demonstrated that not everyone wants to change their regime. You've only accomplished one thing and that thing is that you support brutal, oppressive dictatorships. I suppose given the chance you would have visited Pol Pot's regime. Would you have liked to visit China during the Cultural Revolution? Perhaps a trip to Zimbabwe is next on your list.

Maybe next time you go to N. Korea you can spend a few nights in a concentration camp. Too bad Auschwitz is no longer open for business. There just aren't many places where rich men can go to get a closeup glimpse of genuine oppression.

By the way, did you feel bad easting so much food in nation where hunger is pervasive?

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Richard — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:49:15 -0000

Yes. And yes they are aware of the journalists.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

John — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:58:30 -0000

Did you try to ask anybody in North Korea about the 2 American journalists who were captured on the border with China on March 17?

How much for the Lotus Flower Restaurant waitress on the left?

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Richard — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:21:57 -0000

Do you presume that they (Korean's) want to have their country or regime changed? And what do you think they think of those sent to "re-education" camps? They love their regime and leader much like the Thai's love theirs, and they are proud to be Korean and making their own destiny. Sure they would rather not be as poor and have more availability of food, but they value their self determination more.

Korea was occupied/annexed for 40 years by Japan and the current regime was responsible for its independence. To maintain their independence, so the population is told, they must maintain a strong military to hold off against an occupier like the U.S. and wider world which wants to occupy and change the countries system. Those imprisoned are mostly those dissenters at the time of the regime formation. There is no resistance movement in N. Korea, they think their system and regime is doing the right thing by them.

I am not agreeing with the Korean position, I am understanding it which is why I went. They do not regard their regime/country as "starving, torturing, and imprisoning, millions of it’s own people", they regard it as by-product of outsiders (U.S. and world abroad) attempting to occupy and remove their independence. By going to the country and demonstrating that I was willing to respectfully listen and learn about their history, people and system of government it was a demonstration that not everyone is attempting to change their culture, way of life and system of government. I was not required to agree, and many times I told them when I did not.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Helmut — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:27:34 -0000

Thanks for the report - some nice photos, I like the especially those of North Korean people.
I have been to North Korea too last year, but it was quite an unsual trip, as I took the train to travel overland from Europe via Russia to Pyongyang; this train route from Russia into North Korea wasn't used by other tourists for at least 10 years.... have a look at my travelogue at http://vienna-pyongyang.blo...

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

shunted — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:02:59 -0000

Maxwell Martin, it would indeed be a tragedy if some country or group of countries destroyed the regime in North Korea. It might damage the place and not make it worthwhile visiting the country. That's the most important thing.

You people on this site are sick. It's the most brutal regime in the world and you all think it's great to go there and take some stupid pictures and marvel at the place. Don't pay any attention to the brutality that goes on. Westerners are sick, selfish people.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

shunted — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:58:56 -0000

How do you feel about traveling to a country that starves, tortures, and imprisons, millions of it's own people. Was it worth it to your conscience to give monetary aid to such a brutal regime? It's pretty sick that people go to North Korea and give aid to that evil regime.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Richard — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:28:11 -0000

Photo's are real, I am the poor looking sucker explaining the the leadership successor in front of the Monument to Victory. What does not necessarily come out in photo's is that while everything *is* clean and organised the reasons are not just that we are only shown the best but also because Pyongyang was essentially rubble after the Korean war. So they had the opportunity to plan the city. Also its kind of like what you get at many of you might get at your grand mothers house. Its clean but the carpet and wallpaper hasn't been changed in 30 years, if somethings broken like an elevator its just not used anymore.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Francini — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:24:35 -0000

Really interesting pictures, I saw a load of similar ones earlier today that Dom Joly posted on his facebook profile.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Dan — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:38:33 -0000

That North Korean officer is a Sang-Jang (Colonel General). Not a lieutenant as you mentioned in your caption. He's also wearing the Vice Marshal's Collar Badge.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

pierre — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:39:10 -0000

well it s a clean country with no car pollution and no delinquance i suppose
where is the difference between young people of north korea who assist to a défilé in north korea and young american who assists to a rock concert or go to disneyland
it s the same the two think they are free to go but the two are manipulated

but i don t like all this monuments to the glory ok kim mes deux

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

RP — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:00:02 -0000

Very interesting.. Was there much hostility towards the tour group during your time there?

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Richard — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:49:22 -0000

gregorylent.... I think a more accurate line of questioning would have been "What street life? What shop fronts? What hardware stores?"

I've seen similar photos before.... tourists are shown sweeping plazas with rehearsing dancers and fed great food, but not shown the other 99% of the country.... poorly looked after, poverty stricken and kept in the dark.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Nathan Coleman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:19:09 -0000

Hey Adrian,
Great photos, I can confirm photos are legit as I was on tour as well.
Any info on travel should google Koryo tours.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Jacob — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:05:01 -0000

gorgeous photos; its a stuning country! pity theres no many problems there with their view of the world :S

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Benjamin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:29:32 -0000

The North Korean forces captured US jeeps and a spying ship! They even have some computers (though proles don't have mobile phones nor Internet yet). I hope you enjoyed the risky rides of the fun fair :-)

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Maxwell Martin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:53:28 -0000

Nice looking place,

Too bad the yanks will destroy the bloody area in the next few years.

Re: Inside North Korea During The Nuclear Standoff

Television Spy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:51:49 -0000

It's much cleaner than they usually show it, is this some sort of planned tour or is this legitimate?