A Russian travel blogger has revealed details of his recent trip to North Korea, alleging that a government agent closely monitored his activities, restricted photography, and censored images.
The blogger, identified as Maxim Golishev, shared his travelogue on the Russian social media platform VK. Golishev, who documents his travels to various countries, visited North Korea earlier this year through Vladivostok as part of a group tour with eight other travelers.
According to his account, he flew from Vladivostok to Pyongyang on a Soviet-era Tu-154 aircraft built in 1976 and returned on a plane from 1983. He described the aircraft as old and fragile but noted that it managed to land safely at Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport.
Strict Surveillance of Tourists in North Korea
Upon arrival, he observed around 30 North Korean passengers disembark in identical uniforms, following a single guide in an orderly manner before disappearing from view.
From the moment he landed in Pyongyang, Golishev was assigned two guides—one appearing to be a regular tour guide and the other, in his opinion, likely a secret agent from North Korea’s Ministry of State Security. The second guide strictly controlled what the tourists could see, ensuring they were only exposed to positive aspects of the country. He also censored photographs taken by the travelers.
Golishev noted that before his departure from Russia, a North Korean travel agency representative had warned him not to photograph North Korean laborers. However, during the trip, his guide provided multiple reasons for prohibiting photography, including the claim that “North Koreans do not like being photographed.”
Despite these restrictions, Golishev devised a strategy to evade the agent’s scrutiny. The night before leaving, the agent attempted to check his photos on the way to the airport. Anticipating such an event, Golishev sat on the opposite side of the bus, avoiding detection and preventing the agent from inspecting his pictures.
Long Lines for Beer and Dogs in the Zoo
During his tour of Pyongyang, Golishev was struck by the sight of approximately 100 people standing in line outside a store. Upon asking his guide about the queue, he was told that beer had just been delivered to the shop and people were lining up to use their ration coupons to purchase it.
The blogger recalled Soviet-era beer stalls but remarked that he had never seen such long lines just to buy a drink.
His group also visited the Pyongyang Zoo, where one of the most unusual exhibits was a collection of dogs. The zoo featured an enclosure displaying over 100 dogs of 30 different breeds, something Golishev found perplexing.
His guide explained that pet ownership has been growing in popularity among North Koreans in recent years.
Despite North Korea reopening its borders to Russian tourists last year, the number of visitors remained low, with only 881 Russians reportedly traveling to the country in 2024.
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
