North Korea is one of the most secretive countries in the world.
Citizens are not permitted to travel abroad, and the few tourists that manage to visit are kept to a few choice sites, and are accompanied by guides at all times.
The US State Department "strongly urges US citizens to avoid all travel to North Korea/the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea’s system of law enforcement." Two American citizens, Kim Dong Chul and Otto Warmbier, are still in detention there.
Undeterred, London native and travel blogger Jess Harling of Jess Travels spent two weeks touring North Korea with her boyfriend. While her interest in the country stemmed from Hollywood parodies, she was eager to learn more about it by seeing it for herself.
Her photos and firsthand account of the trip provide a rare glimpse into what life is like under Kim Jong-un.
Last year, Jess Harling and her boyfriend, Josh Fitzmaurice, spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve in North Korea.
“Not the most romantic of destinations, but he had a fascination with the country as well,” Harling said.
Her interest in North Korea began as a teenager, when she saw the movie “Team America,” a satirical comedy by the producers of South Park.
“I know that's really bad because [North Koreans] hate that film, obviously, but I was just kind of fascinated by the country,” she said. “I was like, 'I just need to see this place for myself.'”
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