A French traveler who recently visited North Korea reported that a North Korean guide acknowledged Pyongyang’s deployment of soldiers to Russia amid the ongoing Ukraine war.
Pierre-Emile Bio, a French tourist, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on February 26 that visitors in his group questioned their guide about North Korea’s ties with Russia.
The guide reportedly responded, “People from our country are being sent to Russia.” North Korea has not officially acknowledged the troop deployment nor released any reports on the matter.
“Bio noted that North Korean guides tended to avoid political questions, though it was clear that North Korea’s relationship with Russia was improving,” he said. “Whenever we asked jokingly about it, the guides seemed to have received instructions from the authorities not to respond.”
For the past five years, North Korea had tightly restricted foreign entry. However, on February 20, it allowed the first group of Western tourists to visit the Rason Special Economic Zone. Bio traveled to North Korea on a five-day tour package organized by Koryo Tours.
He described the entry process as relatively smooth, though North Korean authorities conducted strict hygiene checks due to COVID-19 concerns.
“The North Korean side seemed relatively welcoming, and the process was fairly seamless,” Bio explained. “Although they didn’t check our vaccination status, they did take our temperature, and we had to pay a fee to have our bags disinfected.”
Mandatory Visits to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il Statues
As part of the tour, travelers were required to visit statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. The statues were positioned on a hill in central Rason, where tourists were expected to purchase flowers, present them at the statues, and observe a moment of silence.
“Since we were the first tourist group, many people watched us from a distance,” Bio recalled. “We had to show respect for the culture, and everyone complied.”
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
