1

I've been in contact with Juche Travel Services who've also confirmed all tours are running for 2012. I'm heading over for Kim Jong Il's 70th birthday celebrations (I assume that death won't impede Kim Jong Il from holding a wild-ass party any more than it impeded his dad from staying president) on Feb 18. I was going to be in China anyway and figured it was just too good an opportunity to miss, the DPRK is such a relic. I figure if anything happens to jeopardise the safety of tourists before the date of entry tours will be cancelled (and a comprehensive travel insurance plan will refund you for any loss of deposit) and that most tours are so short it's quite unlikely that anything super terrible for safety would happen while you're actually in the country. Anyway, I'm hella excited.

Let me know if you end up on the same tour!

Aidan

2

I am also planning to head to N. Korea in April.

It looks like there are quite a few tours available, I am just checking out their websites and see which one I fancy.

It should be fun.

3

The mourning period is about 100, 160 years. Or until, when ordered to cry, you start laughing hysterically. Then they shoot you, and the mourning period is over.

4

How come in all the pictures of hysterical crying there were no tears?

5

Ray, how come? That's why you need to go for a week to get more of a handle on it all, and gain more of an idea on why.

6

Hi Aidan !

Could you please tell me how was your experience with Juche Travel Services ?

Thank you !!

7

http://www.korea-discovery.com/en/kontakt/ i went with this small company, and I've since met the lady in Prague when recently there. Small friendly groups so you can do/see much more than a big group is able to, was a few hundred Euros cheaper than other companies, being small sized we got to know our Guides and their families more than we probably would in a larger group. The other companies all seem good too but I can vouch for Svetlana's little company absolutely, PM me if you want more info, and search me out in here for a trip report on this as I think I may have compared some of the differences between our small group and some of the other largers ones,