In June 2013, I traveled to North Korea’s North Hamgyong Province undercover, not disclosing that I was a journalist in order to get a sense of life in areas far from Pyongyang.
This was a dangerous proposition. Western journalists are often forbidden from entering the country and can receive harsh treatment if discovered.
For eight days, I lived undercover, hiding the truth from my traveling companions and near-ubiquitous military guards.
Things started out in exciting fashion. I crossed into the North Korean city of Namyang overland from China, across the Tumen Border Bridge. Built in 1941 by the Japanese occupying the area, the bridge measures 1,690 feet in length but is less than 20 feet wide.
During the Korean War, it was one of the border posts from which the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army entered North Korea to help drive out US, South Korean, and UN forces. Though there was lots of security on the Chinese side, the North Korean side was strangely quiet.
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