Episode 42 — What is it like to be an organizer of tours to North Korea?

All things have to come to an end, and it applies to this podcast in its current format too. Thank you for staying tuned for more than 50 episodes! In this last episode I talk about why it has to end and what my future plans are. Spoiler: Once I have more time, I will do my best to rebrand, reformat, and continue this podcast in mid-2022. To use a famous platitude - I am not saying “goodbye”, I am just saying “see you later!”

In this episode, I would like to talk about the Korean People’s Army or KPA – the military of North Korea, which is also the armed wing of the ruling party. Specifically, today we will look at the current structure, role, and significance of the North Korean army.

Today’s episode talks about the complicated historical framework of the North Korean-Japanese relations – including the two biggest conflict points that both countries have had. In that light, I also discuss their contemporary problems including history interpretation and mutual negative perception.

Today’s episode is unusually musical. Our guest today is Justin Martell, an American producer, and a co-founder of Ship to Shore PhonoCo record label. Justin Martell in 2017 also founded YPT’s partner, Pioneer Media, offering production services across a wide variety of unique locations from Asia to Eastern Europe. He has worked extensively in the horror movie genre and has written the foremost authoritative book Tiny Tim. Today's interview with him will focus on an album, which has been recently released by Ship to Shore PhonoCo. The album is called "Take On Us! Pyongyang Gold Stars" and was a product of intense international and intercultural cooperation between Justin, Morten Traavik, and many North Korean artists.

This episode will not be very analytical, but the topic that I will cover provides some important context for the previous episodes and your understanding of the North Korean socio-economic system and its place in the global trade streams. Today I will talk a bit more about North Korean exports – what the country focuses on in its production and external trade.

The notorious leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, has disappeared several times from the public eye in the course of 2020 and 2021, with both experts and media watchers wondering whether the North Korean leader is suffering from some sort of systemic health issue that could potentially be fatal. But what actually happens if Kim Jong-un dies? What will the immediate political ramifications look like? Let’s think about it together.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, North Korea had a reputation as one of the most if not the most isolated societies on Earth. It was as if North Korea was already living under the conditions of a permanent COVID-19 lockdown. Indeed, it was hard to imagine that the hermit nation could get any more reclusive than it had already been. Yet with COVID-19 raging all over the world, North Korea seems to be rolling down the path of new unprecedented levels of isolationism. So, in this episode, I’ll answer the question: Why will North Korea remain under quarantine for much longer than initially expected?

Quite some time ago I’ve received a couple of suggestions to cover the question of how North Korea earns money illicitly. Since this is a massive topic, it took me a while to figure out what kind of episode I want to make while answering the question. Hence, today, I will try to respond to this question by focusing on the main areas of North Korean criminal activities that earn cash for the regime – ranging from drug trade to counterfeiting. Apart from that, I’ll touch upon the organizational structure of that system and mention other types of illegal activities that might not be bringing as much cash but are still sometimes brought up in the context of discussions about the DPRK.

Hello everyone! So, I am coming to you today with another announcement/request. As some of you might have seen, I have recently registered for the annual Podcast Awards competition in the category 'News & Politics'. I would be very grateful, if you could use 2 minutes of your time and support my podcast with your vote as a listener. Your help would mean a lot! You can find the instructions here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRtwZPDn0I3yXeAMFL9IB73wiRVHoCKbbT-0KeS29a1nFRZj5raBj9QOUr30qSXk1rV4egUJuAu5rYa/pub

Today’s podcast episode is an interview with an organizer of North Korea tours. Nicolas Platt is a travel guide, who works with the Young Pioneers’ Tours, one of the most renown DPRK tour organizers internationally. The YPT website describes Nic as a “North Korea wunderkind and tour guide par extraordinaire. Whilst he’s not touring you may usually find him at a North Korean restaurant in China, studying Korean or travelling unique parts of the world”.