North Korea bans tourists (again) after influencers visit

Travel influencers have been told not to stage pranks in North Korea or mock the state after it shut its borders to tourists.

Pyongyang allowed a small Western tour group into the country for the first time in five years in February, but abruptly cancelled future trips after participants spoke negatively of the country to the press and in vlogs posted on social media.

The Arch of Reunification, a monument to symbolise the hope for eventual reunification of the two Koreas, in Pyongyang, North Korea.Credit: AP

Beijing-based Koryo Tours, which organises trips to the country, told potential travellers not to “mock, distort or disrespect North Korea”, saying it could have consequences for future visitors and local guides.

The company also warned against conducting practical jokes in an attempt to go viral online.

It said: “We understand that viral content thrives on unique and attention-grabbing moments, but North Korea is not the place to push boundaries.

A tram passes in front of the pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang.Credit: Getty Images

“Influencers have been known to try controversial stunts in other destinations, but doing the same in North Korea could have serious consequences.”

Joe Smith, who was on the tour to North Korea in February, said that there were a lot of vloggers in the group who were filming “everything”.

He said: “Everyone talking to the media after and citing the poverty... [it] may have made them feel it’s not worth it.”

Nicholas Bonner, the British founder of Koryo Tours, said: “There are plenty of things that North Korea considers to be sensitive.

“They do not like anyone trying to take pictures of anything to do with the military and they are sensitive around sites like checkpoints.”

He added: “They also do not like pictures that show anyone performing manual labour because they want to portray everything in the country in a positive light.

“If you want to take pictures of people in a field, for example, they will want them to be smartly dressed and standing up straight.”

Images seen as critical of the nation’s leadership are particularly taboo, with guides likely to get agitated if a picture has unflatteringly cropped a member of the Kim dynasty. Guides will probably ask that it be deleted and taken again, according to Mr Bonner.

While North Korean guides have some control over foreign visitors while they are in the country, they cannot censor anything that is posted after the tourists leave.

No information has been provided by North Korea about when tours might resume, although foreign visitors are still scheduled to take part in the Pyongyang marathon this week.

Travellers who visited North Korea in February said later that the city they were taken to was “eerily quiet” and “desolate”.

They were also disparaging of their guides’ abilities in foreign languages and said local people seemed nervous around foreign visitors.

Oh Gyeong-seob, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, told the Korea Times that the influencers’ uncensored footage had revealed too much about life in the North.

Mr Oh said: “These materials led to international criticism, prompting North Korean authorities to temporarily suspend tourism until they can establish measures to control information leaks.”

The advice from Koryo Tours is to respect the local culture, stay with the assigned guide and avoid photographing potentially sensitive sights.

A blog on the company’s website said: “The best rule of thumb is simple: if you are unsure whether you can take a photo or video, ask your guide first.

“The DPRK takes laws and customs very seriously and even minor infractions can lead to detainment or expulsion”.

Mr Bonner said the advice is being given to the approximately 200 runners – including some 30 Britons – who will be entering North Korea over the next two days before taking part in the Pyongyang International Marathon on April 6.

The Telegraph, London