Travel Essentials › North Korea
Travel Essentials
Plugs: Types A, C and F, 220 V; power cuts are frequent outside major hotels. Tipping: Not expected; note that independent travel is not possible, most nationalities can enter only on organized tours that are currently very limited, and US passport holders are barred by their own government. Tap water: Drink bottled or treated water.
Types A, C and F, 220 V; power cuts are frequent outside major hotels
Not expected; note that independent travel is not possible, most nationalities can enter only on organized tours that are currently very limited, and US passport holders are barred by their own government.
Greetings. Greet your guides and officials with a polite handshake and a slight bow or nod. Keep greetings formal, and do not hug or kiss locals.
Guided-tour-only travel. Foreign tourists cannot travel independently; you are accompanied by state-assigned guides at all times and must follow their instructions, including where you can walk, photograph and what you can say.
Respect for leadership and symbols. Statues, portraits and images of the Kim family must be treated with visible respect (e.g., bowing when directed, not folding printed images of leaders); jokes or criticism of the political system are treated extremely seriously.
Photography restrictions. Do not photograph military sites, checkpoints, or ordinary citizens/soldiers without permission; guides will indicate where photography is and isn't allowed.
North Korea is tightly controlled and street crime against tourists is essentially unheard of, but the real risk is legal: foreign visitors are subject to arbitrary detention or prosecution for perceived rule violations, and consular access/protection is extremely limited; independent travel is not possible and tourism has been suspended for most nationalities for extended periods since 2020, with only brief and uncertain reopenings since.
n/a. Petty tourist scams are not a meaningful risk given the fully guided, controlled nature of all tours; the far greater risk is legal/political, not financial.
Women travelers. Women travel on the same fully guided tours as everyone else; no distinct additional risk is reported beyond the general risks of arbitrary detention that apply to all foreign visitors.
Legal · Use Caution
There is no specific law criminalizing same-sex relations, but the state does not recognize or accept LGBTQ+ identities and any public displays of affection (for any orientation) are discouraged; LGBTQ+ travelers, including openly gay tour guides, have visited without incident by being discreet.
| Coffee (café) | n/a | n/a |
| Local bus or metro ride | n/a | n/a |
| Mid-range restaurant meal | n/a | n/a |
| Hostel bed / budget room (night) | n/a | n/a |
| Mid-range hotel (night) | n/a | n/a |
| Daily budget, mid-range traveler | approx. $250-500/day | approx. $250-500 |
2026-09
Tourism to North Korea is organized entirely through foreign tour operators and has been suspended for most nationalities since 2020, with only brief, limited reopenings since; when tours do run, spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October) have the mildest weather, and some autumn trips align with the Arirang Mass Games when they are staged.