North Korea

For over 20 years now, I've had an interest-bordering-on-obsession with North Korea.  Since my early 20's, it seems I cannot ever get enough information, and am always on the lookout for interesting books and articles on the DPRK.

Why such an interest?  Simple, North Korea is George Orwell's 1984 come to life.  I even once read a travel piece on North Korea which stated that that book, more than any other one, is the right one to pick up and read in preparation for a trip there.

Mind you, I have never visited, nor would have any desire to give that place a cent of my money.  The closest I would ever come would be on a trip to South Korea and a visit to Panmunjon.

My interest first got sparked when I was working for American Express' Global Assist travel emergency call center.  During down times, I used to read some of the travel advisories put out by the US State Department.  When I got to the one on North Korea, I learned for the first time that the US officially does not recognize the government of North Korea (don't know whether this ever actually changed), and strongly condemned any and all travel to there by private US citizens.  I realized for the first time what strange and weird place it must be.

I wasn't wrong.