Trips to visit nuke-obsessed North Korea are “unprecedented” as Brits seek out danger.
Dylan Harris set up Lupine Travel 16 years ago to help Brits see mysterious – and often dangerous – parts of the world. As well as offering tours to Afghanistan, the Congo, Chechnya, Iraq, Iran and Libya, he also takes parties to North Korea.
And he says that he is now witnessing an “unprecedented” demand for visits to the totalitarian dictatorship, run by nuclear-obsessed despot Kim Jong Un.
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The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against all but essential travel to the state, which has some of the most extreme censorship laws in the world.
(Image: Dylan Harris/Triangle News)
All media outlets are owned by the state, brides cannot wear white wedding dresses, and even sunglasses and jeans are deemed revolutionary.
North Korea’s borders are currently closed, but Mr Harris says he is expecting them to reopen for limited tours shortly.
The 45-year-old, from Wigan said: “At the moment, we’re seeing an unprecedented demand for North Korea.
“There are strong rumours that the borders are going to reopen in December for the first time in five years.
“We’ve got hundreds of people on the waiting list for it and we are still being bombarded every day with emails asking if they’ve opened yet.”
(Image: Dylan Harris/Triangle News)
And he explained why he thinks people are keen to go there, adding: “The mystery of the unknown is the biggest allure for travellers.
“It’s a country that has been closed off to the outside world for decades – the last country without internet access or knowledge of much beyond their borders.
“Without many outside reference points, they’ve forged their own way; be it through culture, architecture or politics.
“This has led to the creation of the most unique country on Earth.
“Streets are adorned with huge murals and statues. State music plays over loudspeakers, drifting down the long avenues of the capital Pyongyang.
(Image: Dylan Harris/Triangle News)
“There’s a feeling of stepping back in time, but also being in another world completely.”
He once took a couple with a newborn baby on a tour there, as well as people in their 90s.
There are also a lot of elderly Chinese who like to visit, partly to get a nostalgic taste of how it used to be in China under Chairman Mao.
However foreigners have been detained in North Korea, without the help of consulates.
One US visitor, Otto Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, was arrested while visiting as part of a tour group in January 2016.
He was arrested and sentenced to 15 years with hard labour for allegedly stealing a poster – but suffered a neurological injury and died six days after being returned to the US in June 2017.
The FCDO says on its website: “North Korea’s borders are currently closed, but few British people visit when they are open.
“Those that do are usually part of an organised tour.
“If you decide to visit North Korea, follow the advice of your tour group and the local authorities. Failure to do so could put your personal safety at risk.”
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