Will there be any more US-North Korea talks?

While the North Korean Rhetoric occurring regularly last spring has finally waned, strong, turbulent tensions between the United States and North Korea still exist in a big way. When the missile scares finally died down, Pyonyang publicly announced that it would resume production of nuclear weapons at one of the DPRK's nuclear plants, despite the cooling towers being demolished a few years ago under a commitment to the six-party talks.

The "six-party talks" were the consequence of North Korea withdrawing from the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) in 2003. The idea was to find a non-violent, reasonable, peaceful resolution to the North Korean nuclear weapons program. North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, Russia, and the US all took part in these talks.

Unfortunately it was all short lived. The six-party talks unofficially ended in 2009 when the DPRK launched a "satellite" (a suspected missile test) against the will of the UN. The satellite was an immediate failure as it tumbled into the Pacific Ocean.

The UN Security Council agreed to a Presidential Statement that condemned North Korea for the launch, and stated the Council's intention to expand sanctions on North Korea. North Korea responded angrily to the UN council resolution, saying “We will never again take part in such talks and will not be bound by any agreement reached at the talks.” (source)

Today, dialog between Washington and North Korea would not be expected to end the lingering threat of nuclear war - which will probably last for some time - rather, it may simply help defuse current tensions and prevent another escalation.

Perhaps China, who's usually apathetic to the unsettling tension between the US and the DPRK, could be persuaded by the US government to leverage North Korea into having bureaucratic talks once again. US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said "We will not be so stuck in the mud that an opportunity to actually get something done is flagrantly wasted." The future of more dialog between both nations is hopeful, but it is hard to see anything we can actually agree on. (source)

What is it like to travel to North Korea?

For the past several decades now, North Korea's improvement in the science and technology sector has been mostly stagnant. If you were to talk into the heart of the DPRK today, you would think that you've walked into a time machine and you've been brought to the 1960's. That's what happens to a nation that decides to close themselves off from the rest of the civilized world, and rely purely on the ideas and innovations of their own citizens.

Note: the idea of complete national self-reliance is called Juche in North Korea, where the term was first coined by Kim Il-Sung when the nation gained it's independence.

Among the DPRK's technological amneties, however, is a state-run commercial airline. So how good is it? In this article, a foreigner gets a chance to actually fly "Air Koryo", North Korea's flight company. The main vehicle of choice for North Korea's state airline is a Ilyushin IL-62, believe it or not. The IL-62 is a Soviet long-range jet that was released in the 1960's. It was commonly operated in some middle eastern and Eastern Bloc countries for a long time until newer, more robust, more efficient planes came along. There are still some nations that use the IL-62 and it's variants, but for the most part, it now stands as an antique throwback to mid 20th century engineering.

Believe it or not - Despite how difficult it may be to travel to North Korea, they are actually open to tourism, even for US citizens. You can't, however, fly there directly from the United States. You're technically required to fly to China first, and find a Chinese flight agency which will then book a trip for you to the DPRK.

Once you actually arrive in North Korea, the guidelines you have to adhere to are extremely stringent. You are not allowed to bring a cell phone. You are not allowed to bring a nice camera (anything more than a point 'n' shoot), and you are not allowed to record video. You are not allowed to go anywhere you want; you are to be in the presence of government minders at all times while you're in the country. Government minders are essentially your permanent tour-guides during your trips. They decide what you see, what you do not see, and they control where you go during your stay. If you take a photo of something they don't want you to, they may very well confiscate your belongings, or even worse.

The DPRK can be a strange and fascinating place to visit, if you can put up with all the strings attached.