North Korea - Getting In

Passport and visa are required. Visas must be arranged prior to arrival in Pyongyang, usually through a tour packager. The best places to procure North Korean visas are in Bangkok and Macau. You must pay for your entire trip before you depart, as you will be part of a government-organized tour. The North Korean Visa Office is a better bet than the North Korean embassy in Beijing. Perhaps even a better bet is through M.K. Ways in Bangkok (57/11 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330; Tel.: [66] (2) 254-4765, 255-3390, 254-7770, 255-2892). The company specializes in tour packages to Indochina, but has introduced packages to North Korea in an exclusive agreement with the government.

Tours of North Korea vary in length, but most are for 14 days. You'll need three passport photos and approximately US$15 for the visa. If asked if you are a journalist, it would help facilitate the process to say no. Inside the country, you may be able to extend your visa, but, again, you'll have to pay in advance for accommodations and guide services. Your guide should be able to make the necessary arrangements.

By air, you can get to Pyongyang via Beijing on Air China or Air Koryo. Pyongyang is also serviced by Aeroflot. Pyongyang Airport (Sunan) is 24 kilometers from the capital, about a 45-minute drive. By train, you can enter North Korea from Beijing via Tianjin, Tangshan, Dandong and Shinuiju. You'll be met at the Pyongyang station by your guide. The Pyongyang/Beijing train runs four times a week, and there's thrice-weekly service to Moscow via Khabarovsk. By boat, you may want to try the ship that runs from Nagasaki, Japan to Wonsan on North Korea's east coast. Other international ports include Chonjin, Haeju, Hungnam, Rajin, Songnim and Nampo (Pyongyang).

http://travel.state.gov/nkorea.html