Thousands of western tourists travel to North Korea every year, though doing so raises questions about whether money from sightseeing ultimately ends up contributing to the country’s nuclear weapons program and whether visitors are putting themselves in danger of arbitrary arrest and imprisonment.
Simon Cockerell of Koryo Tours has been facilitating trips to the DPRK for over a decade and has been there himself nearly 200 times (by his own counting).
In this episode, Simon makes the case for visiting the North, why it’s not as dangerous as is believed in some circles, and what impact regular foreign interaction and engagement may have on the North Korean people.
Simon Cockerell is the general manager of Koryo Tours, the largest and oldest travel company taking people to North Korea.
About the podcast: The “North Korea News Podcast” is a weekly podcast hosted exclusively by NK News, covering all things DPRK: from news to extended interview with leading experts and analysts in the field and insight from our very own journalists.
Featured image: Koryo Tours