Can You Visit North Korea as a Malaysian and How?
Ever wondered if a Malaysian can enter into the mysterious land of North Korea? Well, Keep reading to find out if you can visit North Korea as a Malaysian.
Can You Visit North Korea as a Malaysian?
There answer to your curious question is YES! You can visit North Korea plus you don't even need a visa! In 2009, Malaysia became the first country whose citizens were able to travel to North Korea without a visa. Can you believe that?
Nevertheless, If you are Malaysian and have intentions to travel to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [DPRK] you should inform the government.
Malaysia and North Korea have always had a diplomatic relationship since 1973.
However, relations between the two countries deteriorated in 2017, in the aftermath of the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam in Malaysia. Ever since that incident, Malaysians were banned from visiting North Korea.
Late Kim Jong-Nam
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With that being said, in 2018, North Korea said that they are moving towards peace with Malaysia. Malaysia welcomes North Korea's move and re-opened its embassy in North Korea to resume relations as an end to the diplomatic row over the assassination incident.
How To Get into North Korea as a Malaysian?
1. Find an authorized travel agent
You definitely can't travel to North Korea without a travel agent, hence you will need to find an authorized travel agent that offer tour packages to North Korea. Juche Travel Services is among one of the popular travel agencies.
2. Apply for a Permit Form
If you come from a different country that requires you to have a visa, your travel agent will help you to apply for a tourist visa.
Thankfully, as I've mentioned earlier, Malaysians do not require any visa. However, you do need to fill in a permit form in order to get approval from the North Korean government for your visit.
You will have to wait for a few months before you get the approval from the North Korean government.
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3. Choose your starting point
Currently, there are only three places – Beijing, Shenyang and Vladivostok that offer scheduled flights to. There are no direct flights from Malaysia to Pyongyang, North Korea.
4. Transit to Pyongyang by flight or train
Once you have decided where you want to land from Malaysia, it is not time to finally transit to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
The flight from Beijing to Pyongyang takes about 2 hours while from Shenyang it takes only about an hour.
Pyongyang airport
However, if you choose to travel by train, then that it will take you about 20 hours from Beijing to Pyongyang, crossing through border city Dandong of China.
We hope you got a clearer picture of how to travel from Malaysia to North Korea after reading this article. If you have visited North Korea, let us know your experience in the comments below!
Since you might be visiting North Korea, you might want to check out our blog on Shocking & Unbelievable Restrictions You Never Knew Existed in North Korea.
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