Andrei Lankov, front second from right, and Chad O'Carroll, front right / Courtesy of NK News

It hasn't been this difficult to get a glimpse of North Korea in a long time. Between travel restrictions to the reclusive country itself and fraying relations with its neighbors China and Russia, it's nearly impossible to visit or even come close. A group of North Korea experts working together with NK News aims to provide the next best thing by leading a 10-day group tour of the south side of the inter-Korean border area from Sept. 21 to 30.

"If you're interested in North Korea, this is the best you can realistically get for a long period of time," said Andrei Lankov, a renowned Russian scholar and expert on North Korea. "Such a trip gives visitors a sense of how close yet profoundly different the two countries are. It explains why the South is so concerned about the situation, shows how truly impenetrable and tightly sealed the North-South border is, and, of course, presents many opportunities to discuss North Korea, its past and its future."

Barbwire is a common sight along the Korean Peninsula's east coast. Courtesy of NK News

"The tour is designed both for those who might normally wish to visit North Korea but can't right now due to the DPRK's ongoing border closure to most Western countries," added Chad O'Carroll, founder and CEO of NK News, who will be along on the tour throughout. "Secondly, it's designed for those with research, professional or academic interests in the DPRK."

Currently, North Korean tourism is open only to Russian nationals, following years of total closures during the pandemic. Additionally, the U.S. government has forbidden its citizens from visiting for even longer.

"It is somewhat peculiar because the Russian potential as a source of tourists is quite limited. Before 2019, only a few thousand Russians visited North Korea annually. I believe that now, even with the most active promotional efforts, this number is likely to remain in the low tens of thousands," Lankov said.

He noted that even Chinese tourists, once the majority of the North's tourist market, have not returned.

"This probably reflects the current North Korean policy. Among others, the DPRK government is trying to play Russia and China against one another, just as they did so brilliantly back in the 1960s and 1970s," Lankov said.

He said he doesn't expect North Korea to welcome back Western tourists in the foreseeable future.

"From the North Korean point of view, every Western tourist is a potential source of problems. She can see too much, hear what she is not supposed to hear, and even her presence, her dress and her gadgets send highly undesirable visual signals to the common North Koreans — signals about the prosperity of the supposedly 'evil and suffering' capitalist West," he said. "In the past, North Korean authorities tolerated Western tourists because they needed the money paid by these tourists and some exposure to the Western world. Now, the situation has changed. The amount of money that can be earned by accepting Western tourists is quite small, almost negligible, by their current standards. So, I believe that it will take quite a few years — yes, years, not months — before the first Western tourists reappear on the streets of Pyongyang."

Lankov has visited the North many times over the years, starting in the 1980s when he studied at Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University in the 1980s. His last trip was in spring 2018.

He speaks supportively of tourism to North Korea, although he urges caution regarding the messages being presented.

"Tours there, even in the best of times (say, around 2010), were highly scripted and carefully controlled," he said.

Meanwhile, from the South side of the border area, the North may attempt to manipulate what observers can see, but O'Carroll stresses that there is much to glean from the remote glimpses.

"You'll still see very developing conditions and lots of evidence of the huge economic disparities between the two nations," he said. "Further, on the East Coast guests can get a taste of the former inter-Korean tourism zone and all that came and went in that area. And on the West Sea islands, you can get a taste of really remote life in South Korea and the risks and dangers that come with being so close to the DPRK."

A sign warns of North Korean landmines on Incheon's Ganghwa Island. Courtesy of NK News

The first stop of the tour is Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea's remote northwestern territory located just 12 kilometers from the North. It is reachable only by ferry. Lankov will join this leg of the tour, giving a briefing of the island's history, including the many clashes with the North in the area, such as the deadly 2010 shelling of the island.

The next stop is the Joint Security Area in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with the iconic Truce Village where North and South confront each other in a decades-long stalemate. The JSA itself is currently inaccessible to tour groups due to current security restrictions, although O'Carroll stated that they have applied for an exception and are waiting for an answer.

Having toured the same area from both sides, Lankov pointed out how different an experience each side offers.

"The South Korean government and USFK have turned the DMZ trip, especially the Panmunjom visit (when such visits were allowed), into a sort of patriotic/security consciousness show for South Korean citizens, as well as a sort of James Bond theme park for Western tourists," Lankov explained.

Blue shacks straddle the line between the two Koreas at the Joint Security Area. Courtesy of NK News

In contrast, he described the North side's version of the tour as "strangely enough, far more relaxed."

"North Korean tourists are not allowed inside the DMZ; they are not present on these tours, and for their visiting foreigners, it's necessary to project not the image of sanctions but rather the image of a relaxed, peace-loving country," he said. "So, basically, they have no reason to worry that much since no potential troublemaker is allowed to approach the DMZ from the northern side, and they are delivering a different propaganda message."

On day 5, the tour arrives in Cheorwon County in northwestern Gangwon Province, a region that was originally wholly in the North but now is divided in half between the two Koreas. There are many relics to see, including the ruins of the Workers' Party headquarters.

These ruins, photographed April 22, 2018, once served as a regional headquarters for the North's ruling Workers' Party of Korea in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. AFP

The next day, they'll reach Sokcho, Gangwon Province, a coastal city with heavily fortified beaches against North Korean incursions. For this part of the trip, the group will be joined by NK News podcaster Jacco Zwetsloot and editorial director Jeongmin Kim.

Barbwire lines a staircase in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. Courtesy of NK News

The day after that, they'll drive north up the coast to the border county of Goseong. There, guests can shop at a gift shop selling North Korean products, visit Kim Il-sung's former beach house and go on a "treasure hunt" for North Korean artifacts washed up on the shore.

After returning to Seoul, the group will later make one final stop in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon's Ganghwa Island. Stops include Gyodong Island and Daeryong Market, originally founded by North Korean refugees.

"There is a lot which can be learned about the two Koreas by visiting the inter-Korean border, especially when you're accompanied by experts like on our special itinerary," O'Carroll said.

There are only 20 spots available, and it's cheaper to buy in earlier. The deadline for registration is Sept. 1. Visit signup.nknews.org/north-korea-from-a-near-distance-tour for more information including a full itinerary and to register.