Matt Kulesza: For those not familiar, it’s impossible to just rock up to North Korea as a solo or independent traveler. All tourists, whether traveling independently or as part of a group tour, must have two Korean guides escorting them around. As the foreign tour leader, my job was basically the link between the North Korea tour guides and the tourists. Another job involved negotiating any changes to the itinerary with the Koreans, making sure everything on the itinerary runs smoothly and that everyone has a safe and enjoyable time. You’re generally the last to go to bed and the first to wake up in the morning, dealing with any issues that spring up with tourists and acting as a fixer, translator, teacher, etc.What inspired you to work as a tour guide in North Korea?
I have been fascinated with North Korea for years. I guess I’m what you would call a “North Korea watcher.” As a Polish-Australian, I grew up listening to stories of my family in communist Poland that I think possibly planted the seeds of this interest. I was studying Korean Language and International Relations at university back in 2014 when I first visited North Korea as a tourist and truly had a mind-bending experience there.
My craziest and most special memory is probably singing the song “We Will Go To Mt Paektu” to about a thousand of North Koreans celebrating the Day of the Foundation of the Republic on Sept. 9 in Moran Hill of the capital city Pyongyang last year. During national holidays Moran Hill is always a good time - thousands of locals are out drinking and BBQing out in the park with their family and friends enjoying the holiday.
This photo was taken at Moran Hill during May Day celebrations in 2017. It's an example of the little pockets of folk dancing and singing that take place all throughout the park. Photo: Matt Kulesza
While no North Koreans will say anything negatively about their political system and leaders past and present, I would always try to relate to them and build friendships based on non-political conversations.Any of the late night conversations about life, love, world politics, and general shit-talking I would have with the guides over bottles of soju while chain smoking packets of North Korean cigarettes late into the night.Had you run into some constraints while working in North Korea?
While there’s still a lot of constraints that are a bit strange to most people, such as not being able to freely wander around, I still think it’s more open to tourists than most people think. The North Koreans really want to build their tourism industry and they’re generally pretty receptive to suggestions. If a foreign tour company has an idea for a tour, we put it forward to them with an itinerary and they say yes or no. Generally if it’s something they’re able to do, they will do their best to accommodate our tour ideas. Every so often there would be issues with sites being taken off itineraries for no apparent reason or places such as Mansudae Grand Monument (the big bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il) being off limits to tourists. There were a bunch of documentaries and articles whereby tourists claimed that they were “forced to visit the statues as soon as they arrived in Pyongyang.”
Most people view North Koreans as being “brain-washed automatons” due to the fairly unfavorable documentaries. I always make sure to separate people and politics, although this can be quite difficult sometimes in the context of North Korea as politics is so deeply woven into daily life.
A North Korean worker at the West Sea Barrage in Nampo, North Korea. Photo: Matt Kulesza
The world is a complicated place. What really surprised me was despite how different my life is in Australia, North Korea would eventually become extremely normalized to me the more time I would spend there.
For sure, I would like to go back and lead tours again in a heartbeat. Seeing the changes over the last seven years has been fascinating and I hope to be able to catch up with old work friends over there.Below are photos from when he worked as a tour guide in North Korea:
A mass dance in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, with the Juche Tower in the background. Photo: Matt Kulesza
North Korean people sing their hearts out in a karaoke session in the dining room of the Dongrim Hotel in Sinuiju. Photo: Matt Kulesza
A couple holds a wedding ceremony in a building that houses multiple reception rooms, as well as the restaurant of Kenji Fujimoto, the former personal sushi chef of Kim Jong Il. Photo: Matt Kulesza
Swimmers at the Munsu Water Park in Pyongyang in 2014. Photo: Matt Kulesza
A man at the Army Foundation Day military parade in February 2018. Photo: Matt Kulesza
A teacher at the Pyongyang Centre for the Blind and Deaf conducts a class using sign language. Photo: Matt Kulesza
Students at a foreign languages school in the satellite city of Pyongsong just outside of Pyongyang. Photos: Matt Kulesza
The Pyongyang Metro. Photo: Matt Kulesza
Apartment blocks in a newly-developed area of the North Korean capital, typically inhabited by local teachers and scientists. Photo: Matt Kulesza
Inside the home of a North Korean family in Rason, in far northern North Korea. Photo: Matt Kulesza
Pyongyang's Arch of Triumph. Photo: Matt Kulesza
