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All North Korea

The Atlas Obscura Guide To North Korea

13 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in North Korea

Updated January 12, 2024
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Unusual Attractions in North Korea

Pyongyang, North Korea

Mangyongdae Funfair

This abandoned-looking amusement park is frighteningly open for business.

Pyongyang, North Korea

Ryugyong Hotel

North Korea's massive "hotel of doom."

North Pyongan Province, North Korea

North Korea's International Friendship Exhibition Hall

A bizarre collection of gifts to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il from the despots of the world.
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Visitors bowing in a show of respect for North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il on Mansudae (Mansu Hill) in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Pyongyang, North Korea

Mansu Hill Grand Monument

A giant bronze monument to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il is one of the most sacred sites in North Korea.
The USS Pueblo, Pyongyang

Pyongyang, North Korea

The USS Pueblo

Captured in 1968, the Cold War spy ship is the only U.S. Navy vessel being held by a foreign government.

Pyongyang, North Korea

Ideals of the North Korean Workers' Party Monument

A symbol of the Workers' Party of North Korea.
The mural was not part of the original brewery.

Pyongyang, North Korea

Taedonggang Brewing Company

An English brewery transported to North Korea.
See All 13 Things To Do in North Korea

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in North Korea

The mural was not part of the original brewery.

Pyongyang, North Korea

Taedonggang Brewing Company

An English brewery transported to North Korea.
In partnership with GetYourGuide

Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore North Korea

Communism 3
Communist Monuments 2
Statues 2
Military 2
North Korean Monuments 2
Collections 1
Military History 1
Monuments 1
Mythology 1
Cold War 1
Communist Architecture 1
Beer 1
Shops 1
Towers 1
Breweries 1
Naval History 1
Hunting And Taxidermy 1
Rites And Rituals 1
Purveyors Of Curiosities 1
Architectural Oddities 1

North Korea Leaderboard

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    bronwynleigh

    wants to go to North Korea's International Friendship Exhibition Hall

  • B bronwynleigh profile photo

    bronwynleigh

    wants to go to Mangyongdae Funfair

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    wants to go to Ryugyong Hotel

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    Pupuliini

    wants to go to North Korea's International Friendship Exhibition Hall

Stories About North Korea

Mafra Palace Library is home to a colony of itty-bitty bats that keep its many historic volumes safe from pests.

5 of Our Favorite Podcast Episodes About Wildlife in Unexpected Places

Life finds a way, from the bats that haunt and hunt in a majestic library to a bird sanctuary in one of the most dangerous places in the world.
by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura
January 12, 2024
North Korea’s late leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il tower over visitors to the Grand Monument at Mansu Hill, reinforcing the Kim family’s power.

Inside Pyongyang, North Korea's Capital of Control

Every detail of the city's architecture and urban planning is in service to the Kim dynasty.
by Caroline Campbell, Atlas Obscura
January 3, 2024
The Gocta Waterfalls in northwestern Peru are the subject of one of our favorite recent Atlas Obscura Podcast episodes.

7 Recent Atlas Obscura Podcast Episodes You Just Have to Hear

For our two-year pod-iversary we're headed back to some of the coolest places we've taken you recently.
by April White, Atlas Obscura
March 22, 2023
The no-man’s-land between North and South Korea.

Podcast: Cranes of the DMZ

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura
July 18, 2022
The finished, star-shaped pizza in one of Kim’s ‘Pizzas For the People’ films.

The Politics of Smuggling Pizza-Making Videos Into North Korea

Pyongyang has a pizza scene, but only for the upper crust.
by Paula Mejia, Atlas Obscura
May 9, 2018
New Zealand birdwatchers survey the coast of North Korea.

The New Zealand Birdwatchers Who Fly to North Korea in the Spring

The quest for a bird that continues to defy international sanctions.
by Natasha Frost, Atlas Obscura
November 7, 2017

Lists Featuring North Korea

Third Tunnel of Aggression. (Wikimedia Commons)
Heyri Art Valley
The not-at-all bustling entrance to Dorasan Station.
Bridge of No Return

7 Places Worth Trying to See on a Visit to the Korean DMZ

One of the world’s most historically contentious borders is peppered with intriguing attractions.

7

Including Third Tunnel of Aggression, Heyri Art Valley, and Dorasan Station

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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