Must-see attractions in North Korea

  • Juche Tower, Pyongyang

    Tower of the Juche Idea

    Pyongyang

    This tower honours the North Korean philosophy of Juche and was unveiled to mark President Kim Il-sung's 70th birthday in 1982. Indeed, the tower is made…

  • International Friendship Exhibition

    North Korea

    This exhibition hosts a massive display of gifts given to Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un. Housed in a mountainside vault that is vaguely…

  • Tomb of King Kongmin

    North Korea

    The 31st Koryo king, Kongmin reigned between 1352 and 1374 and his tomb is the best preserved and most elaborate in the country. It is richly decorated…

  • Mansudae Grand Monument

    Pyongyang

    Every itinerary includes an homage to these vast bronze statues of the smiling Great Leader and Dear Leader, the latter in his trademark parka. The first…

  • Kim Il-sung Square

    Pyongyang

    Pyongyang’s central square is where North Korea’s massive military parades normally take place. The plaza is ringed by austere-looking buildings: most…

  • Pyongyang Metro

    Pyongyang

    Visiting the impressive Pyongyang metro is definitely a highlight of the capital. The network, which is made up of two lines, has a simultaneous function…

  • Triumphal Arch

    Pyongyang

    Your guides will tell you proudly that the Triumphal Arch is 6m higher than its cousin in Paris, making it the largest of its kind in the world. The arch…

  • Rajin Market

    North Korea

    Tours here usually take in this fascinating, modern market, the only one in the country tourists are allowed to visit and shop at. Sadly, however,…

  • Chollima Statue

    Pyongyang

    This impressive statue portrays Chollima, the Korean Pegasus. It’s an interesting example of how the North Korean state has incorporated traditional…

  • USS Pueblo

    Pyongyang

    The USS Pueblo is a US surveillance vessel that was seized by the North Koreans off the east coast of Korea in January 1968, during a heightening of…

  • Kim Il-sung Mural

    Pyongyang

    This massive mural depicts the hypothetical scene of the joyful masses celebrating Kim Il-sung's arrival in Pyongyang, even though the event wasn't quite…

  • Tower of Immortality

    Pyongyang

    The writing on this tower, through the base of which traffic drives, pledges that the 'Great Leader Kim Il-sung and the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il will…

  • North Korean soldiers, Korean Demilitarized Zone

    The DMZ

    North Korea

    The sad sight of a divided nation remains one of the most poignant aspects of any trip to North Korea. Even if you're just in North Korea for a couple of…

  • Frozen Lake Chon in late May from Mt Paekdu. The lake straddles the Chinese border.

    Paekdusan

    North Korea

    Paekdu, one of the most stunning sights on the Korean peninsula, straddles the Chinese–Korean border in the very far northeastern tip of DPRK. Apart from…

  • North Korea, Pyongyang. Arch of Triumph with deserted road which was erected in 1982 for Kim Il Sungs 70th birthday

    Moran Hill

    Pyongyang

    This is Pyongyang’s top recreation ground: couples wander, families picnic and there are people playing guitars and sometimes even dancing in an…

  • Tomb of Tan'gun

    Pyongyang

    History continues to evolve in North Korea, with new revolutionary discoveries being made every year. While the government announced in 1993 that its…

  • Kumsusan Memorial Palace of the Sun

    Pyongyang

    Kim Il-sung’s residence during his lifetime, the Kumsusan Palace remained so after his death. North Koreans come here en masse to pay their respects to…

  • Pyongyang Film Studios

    Pyongyang

    Several films a year are churned out by the country’s main film studios in the suburbs of Pyongyang. The two main focuses are predictably the anti…

  • Museum of American War Atrocities

    North Korea

    This museum, built next door to its predecessor, details the atrocities allegedly carried out by US forces against civilians during the Korean War. Since…

  • Three Revolutions Exhibition

    Pyongyang

    A surreal, enormous exhibition complex, North Korea’s answer to Florida’s Epcot theme park details the ‘three revolutions’ Kim Il-sung brought about in…

  • West Sea Barrage

    North Korea

    The reason tourists come here (usually on an overnight stop en route to Kaesong) is to see this barrage, built across an 8km estuary of the Taedong River,…

  • Songgyungwan Neo-Confucian College

    North Korea

    This well-preserved college, originally built in AD 992 and rebuilt after being destroyed in the 1592 Japanese invasion, today hosts the Koryo Museum,…

  • Samjiyon Grand Monument

    North Korea

    Set in a huge clearing in the woods with views to Paekdusan and overlooking a large lake, this must be North Korea's most impressive paean to the…

  • Pyohon Temple

    North Korea

    The most historically important Buddhist temple in western North Korea, the Pyohon Temple complex dates back to 1044, with numerous renovations over the…

  • Grand People's Study House

    Pyongyang

    This impressive building on Kim Il-sung Sq is the country’s largest library and centre of Juche studies, where any North Korean over 17 can come for free…

  • Ryugyong Hotel

    Pyongyang

    Three decades after construction began on this extraordinary hotel in 1987, it still has not been completed. Planned as a prestige project but abandoned…

  • Korean Revolution Museum

    Pyongyang

    Despite the museum’s rather misleading name, its main function is to document the death of Kim Il-sung (including a film of the extraordinary public…

  • Kim Il-sung's Birthplace

    Pyongyang

    The suburb of Mangyongdae houses the place of Kim Il-sung’s birth, a typical Korean peasant house with a thatched roof and a block of living rooms, as…

  • Party Founding Museum

    Pyongyang

    Located on the southern slope of Haebang Hill is this museum that originally housed the Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party, as well as Kim Il…

  • Hungnam Fertiliser Factory

    North Korea

    The Hungnam Fertiliser Factory can sometimes be visited, where you will be shown how ammonia is made deep inside an enormous industrial complex that hasn…

  • Mangyongdae Funfair

    Pyongyang

    After the relentless propaganda, you can relax with some day trippers from the capital at the Mangyongdae Funfair, a pleasant oasis built around the base…

  • Ryongmun Big Cave

    North Korea

    It's common for tours to visit this 6km-long limestone cave either prior to or after a visit to Myohyangsan. It has some enormous caverns and a large…

  • Songin Monument

    North Korea

    This monument honours neo-Confucian hero Chong Mong-ju, who was killed on the Sonjuk Bridge. He is known as a symbol of loyalty in North Korea, and was…

  • Taehung Trading Corporation

    North Korea

    This large seafood processing plant and mushroom wine factory is sometimes visited by groups touring the city. You can purchase some mushroom wine to take…

  • Home of Ryi Song Gye

    North Korea

    An impressive complex of historic buildings set in attractive gardens, to which a particularly lewd tale is attached – apparently the pavilion in the…

  • Liberation Tower

    Pyongyang

    This stone column topped with a red star commemorates the Soviet liberation of Pyongyang from Japanese rule in 1945. Built in 1947, it is thoroughly…

  • May Day Stadium

    Pyongyang

    The largest stadium in the world, the May Day Stadium seats an incredible 114,000 people. It's most famous as the home of the impressive feat of North…

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