North Korea
Don’t try this at home | escaping the hotel in North Korea
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 4 August 2024
Updated on 4 August 2024
That evening, the four of us (three others and myself) wanted some time without our ever-present security guard and decided to see how far we could venture from our hotel. Surprisingly enough, we were able to walk out of the hotel (which is normally guarded) and pass through the first AND second security checkpoints without being noticed (although it was only 9 o’clock at night, it was pitch dark since electricity was apparently only used to light up all the statues of the two great leaders).
We were free! Just the four of us! It felt like boys escaping from a school camp at night. We walked across the bridge away from the hotel island towards the real Pyongyang: the uncensored part of the city. Our hearts raced with every step we took further from the safe hotel area and closer to parts that weren’t meant to be seen by interested imperialist eyes.
We whispered to each other, unable to believe how far we had already gotten, and nobody dared to ask how much farther we would go. We knew we weren’t allowed to walk there alone, but at the same time, it also felt completely innocent to just wander around in a new city. We were almost at the end of the bridge when a guard came running behind us and stopped us, completely exhausted since, as we later heard, he had come running all the way from the hotel.
He wanted to know our names and asked why we had gone to the train station. The mention of the “train station” made me think a lot since I had silently suggested going there in the hotel. This was my first lesson in how a system works where you are constantly being watched and listened to, and it kept me thinking a lot for the upcoming days.
After being escorted back to our hotel, we were handed over to our own security guard, Mr. Li. He showed us a list, and we had to select our names, after which he circled them: we had been marked. The next day, we heard that if we had been caught by the police, we would have been put in jail until they were sure we weren’t spies. Apparently, being a tall white person in a fluorescent yellow T-shirt wasn’t enough of an alibi.
For the next two days, the four of us were under stricter surveillance, with subtle interrogations during bus rides and Mr. Li joining in whenever one of us spoke with someone else. It was only after a fun night out with the group, where we all played ping pong and ran around the table, that Mr. Li was convinced that we were just tourists like everyone else.
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Traveled route: Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, Pyjongyang, Kaesong Checkpoint, Wonsan, Hamhung
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