North Korea, which had closed its borders due to the impact of COVID-19, has announced the reopening of its borders and the resumption of its tourism business.
In February, the arrival of Russian group tourists in North Korea signaled the official resumption of the tourism business. Interestingly, North Korea utilized YouTube to revive its tourism business.
A woman living in North Korea uploaded a video on YouTube, a global video-sharing platform. The YouTube channel Olivia Natasha YuMi Space DPRK Daily featured a video introducing tourist attractions selected by Kim Jong Un.
The woman in the video, who identifies as Yeonmi and lives in Pyongyang, begins introducing North Korean tourist attractions. Presumably, Chairman Kim Jong Un selected these attractions. Then, which tourist spots did Chairman Kim Jong Un choose?
The first place introduced was known to be the Yangcheon Hot Springs in Pyeongan South Province.
The exact name of this place is Yangdok Hot Springs Cultural Resort in Pyeongan South Province; equipped with 5-star hotel facilities and is confirmed to be a hub of cutting-edge technology.
The video introduced a scenic open-air bath, known as the highlight of Yangduk Hot Springs, and nearby were eggs boiled in hot spring water.
The second attraction Kim Jong Un boasts of is the Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground, the so-called Pyongyang Everland. The Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground is a theme park that offers adults a sense of nostalgia and children a lot of fun, with thrilling rides and various animals.
The Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground shown in the video released by the North Korean YouTuber looked glamorous. However, according to tourists who visited the place, the scenery significantly differed from what was shown in the video.
Considering such testimonies, it can be inferred that the North Korean government interfered with the video to promote tourism.
Due to North Korea’s closed nature, they run a YouTube channel to attract tourists. The main goal of releasing the video is to make people want to visit North Korea by presenting it as having fine facilities.
Lastly, the video released by the North Korean YouTuber also included a scene of a North Korean sushi restaurant. The sushi restaurant had a large-scale aquarium that could rival Noryangjin and sold expensive sturgeon dishes.
The North Korean sushi restaurant revealed was confirmed to be the Pyongyang Taedonggang Seafood Restaurant.
The North Korean YouTuber who ate the sturgeon sashimi said, “The chef’s cooking skills are really good,” and expressed regret, saying, “It’s unfortunate that I can’t eat this delicious dish with my subscribers.”
A North Korean defector who saw the video said, “Ordinary residents can’t go there. Only high-ranking officials can enter places that have sturgeon dishes because the ranking is limited,” criticizing North Korea’s propaganda.
The defector revealed that the price of this sturgeon is so high that North Koreans cannot order it, even if they exchange it for a year’s worth of food.
Finally, the video ended with an introduction to Okryugwan, the place for Pyongyang cold noodles. The image of North Korea in the video was promoted as being close to a developed country. However, according to reviews from actual visitors, North Korea’s propaganda was confirmed to be false.
Meanwhile, North Korea seems to promote package tourism through such videos. It is judged that independent travel does not help due to the situation in North Korea.
In the case of independent travel, the income goes to individuals, not the North Korean government, so the North Korean government cannot control foreign currency earnings. Therefore, North Korea seems to be focusing on package tours as its main business and all the income earned from tourism goes directly into Kim Jong Un’s pocket.
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