English
Español
中文
हिन्दी
FrançaisTravel and Tourism
Travel and Tourism in Korea, North
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Korea, North.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 4: Do Not Travel
- Time Difference
- UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: on 5 May 2018, North Korea reverted to UTC+9, the same time zone as South Korea
- Currency
- North Korean won (KPW)
- Climate
- temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
- Language(s) Spoken
- Korean is spoken in both North and South Korea and is written in a phonetic alphabet created and promulgated in the mid-15th century. While the alphabet is called Hangul in South Korea, it is known as Chosongul in North Korea. Although the Korean language is derived with words adapted from Chinese, the North Koreans, unlike the South Koreans, do not use Chinese characters with Chosongul in their newspapers and publications. They prefer to use only Chosongul, which is sufficient for most needs. There are differences in vocabulary between the North and the South, influenced somewhat by politics and also by the contact each country has had with other nations. Russian, Chinese, and English are taught as second languages in the schools.
- Ethnic Groups
- racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
- National Holiday
- Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 40 00 N, 127 00 E
- Location
- Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
- Airports
- 78
Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
If you have medical problems, you should not travel to North Korea. For decades, medical facilities in the DPRK have suffered from a lack of resources and electricity. Medical personnel often have inadequate or outdated skills. Hospitals in Pyongyang can perform basic examinations and lifesaving measures, but functioning x-ray facilities are not generally available. If possible, avoid surgery. If you have an accident outside Pyongyang, transport back to the capital can be lengthy and without medical assistance.
Every country, every topic, all activities & recipes
✓ Instant access on this device · ✓ No subscription