Must See

Kaesong

Six hours by train from capital, the town of Kaesong is surrounded by beautiful pine-clad hills. Many of its ancient buildings bear witness to Korea's 500-year imperial history.

Kumgangsan

Kumgangsan (meaning 'Diamond Mountains' in Korean) is the country's largest national park and is located along the east coast of the country. This stunning resort, with its spectacular pristine mountain views, is peppered with former Buddhist temples, waterfalls and springs. Its unspoilt, diverse environment is popular with photographers, birdwatchers and botanists.

Myohyangsan

Myohyangsan ('exotic fragrant mountain') just 120 km (75 miles) northeast of the capital, offers visitors pleasant walks and climbs through a contrasting scenery of Buddhist pagodas, woods and waterfalls. The Exhibition Centre, with its 4-tonne bronze doors, houses the thousands of gifts presented by foreigners to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

Panmunjeom

Panmunjeom in Gyeonggi province is a village on the de facto border between North and South Korea. After the war, when all civilians were removed from the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the empty village of Panmunjeom fell into disrepair and eventually disappeared from the landscape. There is no evidence of it today, however, the building constructed for the signing of the 1953 armistice that halted the Korean War still exists and has since been renamed by North Korea as the Peace Museum.

Just to the north of the DMZ that divides North Korea and South Korea lies the Kijongdong propaganda village. By the entrance to the village stands the world's highest flag tower, on which proudly hangs North Korea's national flag. The massive construction can be seen from the South Korean side of the DMZ and loud propaganda music can also be heard across no-man's land.

Pyongyang

The capital of DPRK, Pyongyang, was completely rebuilt after the Korean War to include neatly designed parks, wide avenues and enormous marble public buildings. The Gates of Pyongyang and the Arch of Triumph (built in honour of Kim Il-sung's 70th birthday) are particularly impressive, while the Ongrui Restaurant, the Grand Theatre, the Palace of Culture and the Juche Tower epitomise the Korean variant of Communist architecture. There are two fountains in the middle of the River Taedong, which spout up to a height of 150-metres, and there is a 13-lane boulevard connecting the city centre with the suburb of Kwangbok, more than 3 km away.Taesongsan Recreation Ground (with its fairground attractions) and Morangborg Park offer relaxation.

Larger-than-life monuments of North Korea's Great Leader, Kim Jong-il and his father, the late Kim Il-Sung, line the streets. Mangyongdae, Kim Il-Sung's birthplace, is a national shrine, where his family's thatched cottage, now a museum, overlooks the Taedong River and the capital.