Interview with Deathandtaxes Online Magazine
The online magazine Deathandtaxes recently asked me some questions about my firsthand experiences traveling in North Korea – check out the full interview here !
A question from the interview:
I saw a short video online made by a guy who visited North Korea back in 2011. The video is shot like it’s hidden in his jacket or something. It seems like you were just freely taking pictures. How were you able to do that? Is it a misconception that photos and video aren’t allowed in North Korea?
There are quite a few sensationalized videos out there and I think they present an entirely wrong impression of what the tourist experience in the DPRK is all about. There are some photography rules, but when the North Korean guides see that the group is diligent about following those rules they tend to relax and let everyone have some photography freedom. It helps that I keep my groups relatively small and manageable at around 10 people. With a group that size we can really develop a positive relationship, developing an optimum situation where the guides feel secure and in control enough to let us enjoy more freedom while not feeling that we are putting them at risk.
Conversely I have witnessed a full tour bus of about 30 camera touting foreigners clearly disregarding the photography rules within the first couple hours of their trip. The North Korean guides are responsible for the rules broken by the tourists under their care, and this group’s North Korean guides were clearly upset. The remedy to these situations is easy, punish the tour group by restricting access to sites. That group was allowed to drive to sites but only got to visit the parking lots. We saw them restricted to the bus at the Hamhung fertilizer plant, a site where we were given full and unrestricted photography access.
The Q & A above allows me the opportunely to highlight a few photos from my experience with the tour group that lost its access to sites over its disregard to the photography rules.
Both tour group crossed the West Sea Barrage on the same morning. The above photo shows the entrance to the eight-kilometer-long road crossing – this is a perfectly acceptable photo.
There were amazing photography opportunists as both buses got stuck in the midst of a crowd of North Korean locals on bicycles; barrage road transportation was delayed as ships passed through the locks. We were directed not take pictures at this time, we didn’t. Those on the other bus did and lost access to other sites because of it.
Locals waiting for ships to pass through the locks – I took the above photo from the West Sea Barrage visitors center on the hill above, we were not prohibited to take photos from there.
We later met the other tour group at the Hamhung Fertilizer Plant. We were granted full access to the site. The other group never developed their relationship with their guides and were restricted to the bus and not allowed to take photos.
Below are more photos from our visit to the Hamhung Fertilizer Plant:
Dongbong Co-Operative Farm
A few days ago I shared some pictures of The Cutest North Korean Soldier taken during our visit to the Dongbong Co-Operative Farm outside Hamhung, North Korea. Below are more photos from that visit showing how farmers and their families live and work under the Juche-communist style of cooperative farming:
Info on the North Korean co-operative farm system is hard to find online, web searches on the subject bring up this blog as a top hit, but I do remember learning from books I read for my pre-trip background studies that those who live and work on co-operative farms have a fantastic standard of living (by North Korean standards), with the farms being profitable enough that the workers and families living within the cooperative system typically have more material goods and higher savings compared to average workers from Pyongyang.
Related articles
- The Cutest North Korean Soldier and Our Visit to the Dongbong Co-Operative Farm (americaninnorthkorea.com)
The Cutest North Korean Soldier and Our Visit to the Dongbong Co-Operative Farm
The Cutest North Korean Soldier
On our visit to the Dongbong Co-Operative Farm cooperative farm outside Hamhung, we were allowed time to interact with a group of young children during their preschool recess activities. Waddling around, tugging at our beards, and pawing at our cameras to look at our digital pictures, our experience with these kids was a highlight of the trip. After about 15 minutes the children were called back to the schoolyard for some marching and saluting practice lead by their teachers and minders.
Some people in my group felt this entire interaction and schoolyard display was some sort of playacting show put on by citizen actors for us foreigners, but I tend to not be so pessimistic and believe we were fortunate enough to witness some authentic rural scenes of life not commonly glimpsed by foreigners.
All photos by Joseph A Ferris III – more photos from this series linked below.
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Small Town Juche
No tool is too humble in the struggle for self reliance – from my own interpretation of Juche Idea.
Locals get by with what they have; transportation by hand cart in the small North Korean city of Hamhung – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
Working for a Strong and Prosperous North Korea
More rare photos from the North Korean countryside: road construction, transportation, industry, and farming in Hamhung/Wonsan region.
Please note that tourists are not generally permitted to take photos such as these due to the government’s fear that they could be used to portray the country in a negative manner. Our guides gracilcly permitted me to take photos of the “beautiful countryside”, which I post here with total respect and in appreciation for the DPRK rural way of life.
All photos by Joseph A Ferris III
Related articles
- Working for a Bountiful Harvest in the North Korean Countryside (americaninnorthkorea.com)
Working for a Bountiful Harvest in the North Korean Countryside
Rare photos of farmers in the North Korean countryside (between Hamhung and Wonsan) preparing fields and working for the upcoming planting season.
Please note that tourists are not generally permitted to take photos such as these due to the government’s fear that they could be used to portray the country in a negative manner. Our guides gracilcly permitted me to take photos of the “beautiful countryside”, which I post here with total respect and in appreciation for the DPRK rural way of life.
North Korean Cell Phone Revolution
Cell phones may have arrived in North Korea, but apparently public service announcements teaching the dangers of texting and driving haven’t.
Hamhung, North Korea – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
Twin Sisters Hamhung City, North Korea
Twin Sisters in the main square of Hamhung City, North Korea – photos by Joseph A Ferris III
American in North Korea 