Q&A for How to Travel to North Korea

Yes, you can. However, please note that if you are missing your exit visa, you will likely be trapped there for some period of time. You could potentially be arrested as well. Don't lose your exit visa.

Yes. First, you will need a special validation passport from the US Department of State. Second, you will need a North Korean entry and exit visa, which you can obtain at the North Korean consulate in Beijing. If North Korean and/or US officials find out that you are missing either of those, you can be arrested. In North Korea, you would be sentenced to hard labor camps. In the US, you would likely face federal prison.

No, you cannot go to North Korea without a tour guide. Generally, you’ll need a guide to travel through North Korea, but there are some exceptions.

North Korea is isolated from some countries but not others. It maintains diplomatic relations with several Asian states -- most notably China -- and with Russia. It does not maintain embassies in most western nations, including the UK and the United States. That is the result of mutual negotiations (or lack thereof) between Pyongyang and each individual nation.