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.