Traveling to Rural North Korea: Sariwon

North Korea’s Tourist Trail

Regardless of what kind of tour you take in North Korea, you are bound to be spending most of your time in the capital city of Pyongyang. Being guided by the nose, tour groups will be taken from park to museum, with only a few glimpses of everyday North Korean life. It is only when you take that first bus down south to the DMZ that you can get a more candid and rustic look at the DPRK.

Located 65 miles south of Pyongyang along the Reunification Highway, Sariwon is a common stopover for tourists returning from Kaesong and the DMZ. Although still a tightly controlled experience, Sariwon provides a more authentic look at country living in North Korea. Being squeezed into a tight itinerary between Pyongyang and the Korean Border, this is an experience that if you blink too much, you will miss a chance to see North Korea in more of a natural light.

You can read about what it is like to travel to North Korea with Young Pioneers Tours here!

Downtown Sariwon

Much like neighboring Pyongyang, Sariwon’s apartments and city blocs are dressed up in cheerful pastels. As your bus pulls into downtown Sariwon, it is almost as if a rainbow of colors is flashing past your window. Compared to the capital, the government’s grip on Sariwon is quite loose. Along the perfectly manicured streets, you can find locals lounging around with their bikes, gossiping with neighbors, and going about their day in a less robotic fashion.

If you had more freedom to travel on your own, you would be sure to fall in love with Sariwon. With an atmosphere less ostentatious than Pyongyang, the traditional Korean style gates and sleepy parks give the city a much more intimate feeling. Although you will be limited to explore one single pagoda in all of Sariwon. Locals can still be seen timidly watching the busload of tourists from the bushes.

You can read more about traveling to the North Korean side of the DMZ here!

Sariwon Folklore Street

Under the instruction of Kim Jong-il, a street depicting traditional Korean life was constructed at the foot of Mount Kyongnam in downtown Sariwon. Although many of the exhibits are not historically accurate, the famous turtle ships and mock villages portray a romanticized look at Korea’s past.

Other than the chance to view a few murals and dress up in traditional Korean garb, the highlight for many is the opportunity to taste authentic makgeolli. Served out of a porcelain jar and drunk from a gourd cup, this potent rice wine is a Korean favorite on both sides of the border. An eccentric guide will be there every sip of the way, explaining the history and benefits of the alcohol.

If you are coming from China, you won’t want to miss the chance to look into North Korea from Dandong!

Mount Kyongnam

With little where else to go, your tour group will be led up to the top of Mount Kyongnam. While climbing these steep stone steps you may run into some local North Koreans relaxing on park benches or kicking around a football. But much like Pyongyang, you can’t help but wonder if this is a real chance meeting or actors strategically placed in the park to add a false sense of life.

From the pavillion at the top of Mount Kyongnam, you get to see how small Sariwon truly is. Although this city is the capital of North Hwanghae Province, Sariwon is only home to roughly 300,000 people. Just a few streets over from the Folk Street, the colorful flats end and the golden fields and hills of North Korea begin. While peering out over the Sariwon skyline, one can’t but to help squint there eyes and see what lays beyond the confines of this guided group tour. It would just take a few minutes to walk to the back alleys and street corners beyond the Folk Street. But for foreign travelers, these neighborhoods might as well be a world away.

The highlight of many travelers in the DPRK is visiting the Mangyongdae Children’s Palace!

Pulling Back The Curtains

Your trip to Sariwon won’t last more than a few hours. Being on a tight schedule, you are literally unloaded from the bus to climb up Mount Kyongnam and herded back on board as soon as you descend. It won’t be the rice wine or the tacky Korean photobooth that will leave an impression on you, however. It is the locals busy pedaling along the streets of Sariwon, the tranquil ponds, small-town atmosphere that will make you wish you could spend a few days exploring what lays outside to the sometimes suffocating tour groups.

Freedom or not, traveling to North Korea is an opportunity you won’t want to pass up. Although the tours are tightly regulated and you can’t help but cock an eyebrow when seeing the perfectly choreographed city life, your trip to the DPRK will be unlike anything you have ever experienced in your life. In a flash, your tour will take you in and out of Sariwon.  While you will get a few moments of gazing down the city streets deep into the heart of North Korea, you can’t but help to hope for a time when you can throw back the curtain altogether.