Inside Pyongyang – 10 Things You Should Know Before Visiting North Korea’s Capital

Travel writing about North Korea often begins with the same three references: nuclear politics, massive military parades, and monumental architecture.

But travelers who actually reach Pyongyang quickly realize that daily life in the capital is built from far smaller details. A glass of local beer. A karaoke microphone passed between friends. A subway escalator descending almost two minutes underground.

The purpose of this guide is not to repeat political headlines. Instead, it focuses on ten cultural observations that shape a visitor’s experience in the city—details that travel planners should understand before stepping onto a flight to North Korea.

Approaching Pyongyang as a planner, rather than simply a traveler, means recognizing how everyday habits, infrastructure, and social customs influence the rhythm of the visit.

Quick Summary Table – Pyongyang Travel Essentials

1. Pyongyang Has Its Own Beer Culture

Beer is rarely associated with North Korea in travel media, yet the capital produces one of its most recognizable local products: Taedonggang Beer.

The brewery story itself is unusual. In 2000, authorities purchased a brewery from the United Kingdom and transported the equipment to Pyongyang. Two years later, the beer began appearing commercially in the capital.

The brand takes its name from the Taedong River, which flows through the city. For travelers, the beer often becomes a small but memorable part of evening meals during guided tours.

2. High Heels Are Everywhere

Visitors quickly notice something unexpected on the streets of Pyongyang.

Women frequently wear high heels—sometimes four inches tall—while commuting, shopping, or working. Even physically demanding environments may include the same footwear.

In the capital’s fashion culture, pointed heels are widely considered a must-have item.

From a travel-planning perspective, this detail highlights something important: Pyongyang’s urban image emphasizes formality and presentation, even in everyday settings.

3. Tourists Can Bring Mobile Phones

For many years, visitors entering North Korea had to surrender their phones at the airport.

That policy changed. Travelers can now bring their own phones into Pyongyang.

The process typically involves purchasing a local SIM card upon arrival at the airport. This SIM allows:

• international calls

• calls between travel companions

However, tourists cannot use the network to call local residents because the domestic population uses a different telecommunications system.

Visitors may also encounter locally produced phones connected to the Koryolink, which provide voice calls, music playback, and photography—but not internet access.

4. Singing Is a National Pastime

In many countries karaoke is an occasional weekend activity.

In Pyongyang it is almost a social reflex.

Many residents enjoy singing, and if politely asked, they may willingly perform a song. Bars and social clubs throughout the capital frequently include karaoke rooms.

Western artists still hold a surprising presence in local music tastes. The songs of The Beatles, Celine Dion, and Carpenters remain recognizable among music fans.

On the domestic side, the highly visible Moranbong Band enjoys wide popularity.

5. Volleyball Appears Everywhere

If you walk through Pyongyang during lunch hours, you might encounter an unexpected sight.

Groups playing volleyball.

The sport is widely loved and often played during breaks from work. Courts are not always formal; parking areas and open spaces sometimes become temporary playing fields.

Wrestling is also popular, but volleyball appears to be the most casually practiced sport in the city.

6. The Pyongyang Metro Is Exceptionally Deep

One of the most distinctive infrastructure features in Pyongyang is its subway system.

The Pyongyang Metro lies nearly 100 meters underground, and it can take almost two minutes on escalators to reach the platform.

The system includes:

• two metro lines

• seventeen stations

Unlike many subway systems worldwide, the stations contain no advertising billboards.

This absence creates an unusual visual atmosphere—quiet, formal, and almost museum-like.

7. Kimchi Is a Culinary Signature

Across the Korean Peninsula, Kimchi is a staple food.

In Pyongyang, it also functions as a marker of culinary skill.

Many households develop their own variations of kimchi, and local tradition holds that every cook creates a unique version. Tour guides sometimes repeat a humorous cultural saying: before marriage, a man should taste the kimchi prepared by his future partner.

Whether literal or symbolic, the idea illustrates the cultural importance of the dish.

8. Queueing Is Practiced With Precision

Visitors often notice how quickly groups can organize themselves into neat lines.

Queueing is taught from an early age, and the habit appears in many everyday situations. When tour groups move through attractions, guides may occasionally ask travelers to line up in the same orderly manner.

For planners organizing group travel, this detail can actually make logistics smoother.

9. Tourists Use Foreign Currency

Although the official currency of North Korea is the North Korean won, visitors do not use it.

Instead, tourists typically pay using:

• US dollars

• euros

• Chinese yuan

Among these, the Chinese yuan often has the lowest exchange rate, while the euro is frequently valued highest.

Understanding this system helps avoid confusion during guided purchases.

10. The “Kim Pin”

One of the most visually distinctive symbols worn by residents of North Korea is a small badge featuring the name or portrait associated with national leaders.

These pins are worn on the left side of clothing as a sign of respect.

For visitors, an interesting rule applies: the pins are not sold to tourists. They are distributed during significant national events and are generally reserved for citizens.

Occasionally travelers hear stories of unofficial exchanges, but formally the badges remain outside the tourist souvenir system.

Things the Media Doesn’t Tell You

Most media coverage frames Pyongyang almost entirely through politics.

But practical travel planning reveals a different layer of reality.

Tourism Is Structured

Visitors usually travel with guides and follow scheduled itineraries. Understanding this structure in advance helps travelers set realistic expectations.

Shopping Is Limited

Pyongyang is not a shopping destination in the typical sense. Locals buy clothing in neighborhood markets that tourists are generally not allowed to enter.

Instead, visitors are usually taken to specific places such as:

• foreign-language bookstores

• official souvenir shops

These locations sell postcards, posters, stamps, and books.

Some Spaces Are Simply Off-Limits

Large commercial malls exist in the city, but tourists are not always allowed to enter them. Access can change depending on the time and regulations in place during the visit.

The Experience Is About Observation

Rather than wandering freely, visiting Pyongyang often feels like participating in a curated introduction to the city.

For many travelers, the value lies in noticing the small cultural details: how people socialize, what they eat, how infrastructure works.

These details—beer glasses, volleyball courts, subway stations—quietly reveal more about the city than headlines ever could.

Community Perspective

Travelers who have visited Pyongyang often describe the experience as unusually structured but culturally fascinating.

One guide from Koryo Tours once summarized the atmosphere in a simple observation:

“Visitors often expect only politics, but they leave remembering food, music, and conversations.”

It is a reminder that even the most politically discussed places in the world are still cities—filled with routines, hobbies, and everyday life.

Exploring Pyongyang – 10 Observations That Change How You Understand North Korea.

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