German influencer Luca Pferdmenges, who recently traveled to North Korea for a five-day trip, shares his experience in an interview with foreign media. Captured from his Instagram account

A German influencer who recently visited North Korea, after the country resumed foreign tourism following the COVID-19 suspension, said he was surprised that North Koreans did not go out of their way to conceal their poverty.

Luca Pferdmenges, a 23-year-old German traveler who crossed the North Korea-China border by land for a five-day trip, shared his experiences in an interview with Business Insider, Feb. 27.

Pferdmenges, who has over 220,000 followers on Instagram, aims to visit every country in the world and shares videos from his travels. His trip took him to the Rason Special Economic Zone, an area established in 1991 in North Hamgyong Province, including the cities of Rason and Sonbong.

He said that people in the rural areas were clearly very poor, and tourists were not allowed to photograph them.

German influencer Luca Pferdmenges / Captured his Instagram account

"Our guides also very strictly told us not to photograph the farmers' houses in the countryside because they are very run-down and shabby," he said. "Surprisingly, the guides also didn't deny that there is poverty; they just don't like people taking photos of it and presenting it as the sole truth."

Despite this openness, Fertmenghes said strict rules were enforced throughout the trip. "Everything on a North Korean tour is very, very organized, with strict rules to follow," he said.

He said that once inside North Korea, a few things immediately stood out. "There are no advertisements anywhere — not even in the cities. Instead, it's just propaganda posters, portraits of the leaders, and flags," he said.

He said he wasvalso surprised that "COVID-19 is still such a big deal there. About 80 percent of the people I saw wore masks, and every bag entering the country had to go through a disinfecting machine."

Still, he expressed a desire to return, saying, "Everyone has an opinion about North Korea, and it's so different from any other place in the world. But I saw a North Korea that wasn't just black and white. I'd definitely go back because it's one of those places that you leave with more questions than you previously had."

German influencer Luca Pferdmenges / Captured his Instagram account

Fertmenghes said the five-day tour, which included a one-night stay in China, cost a total of $740. "The tour itself was surprisingly affordable — about $740 in total, including a night in China and most of the food. North Korea is quite cheap for Westerners, and the hotel was actually really good," he said.

North Korea has begun welcoming Western tour groups for the first time in five years since the COVID-19 outbreak.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.