• Ep.32 What is it like to visit North Korea now?
    Jul 4 2024

    I chat with Veronika who was one of the Russians to visit North Korea recently and who posted her trip on social media. She tells us all about her trip to North Korea!

    NOTE: The North Korean borders are NOT yet open. Some limited Russian tourist groups are currently permitted to go in only. Sign up to this newsletter or WhatsApp group for border opening updates.


    My biggest thanks to Veronika for spending her time for this episode, and forever jealous of your visit!

    Check out Veronika's page on the links below. I love the aesthetic!

    @nikakochetkova / https://www.instagram.com/nikakochetkova


    Check out my North Korea borderlands vlogs on YouTube, full series out now! ->

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8I7OHw5_cDNUZjngE6c3NNFgt5i8eF-t&si=xqc3Dyon-V6Uc5nW


    Can't wait any longer to see North Korea for yourself? Check out the North Korea From a Near Distance tour and get $150 USD discount with code ZoeDMZ!

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Ep. 31 The Podcast is Back!
    Jun 28 2024

    The podcast is back after a non-deliberate break! A little update from me and about the podcast in the future.

    Next full episode coming out next week.


    North Korean borders are not yet open to tourism. Sign up to this newsletter or WhatsApp group for border opening updates.


    Can't wait any longer? Check out the North Korea From a Near Distance tour and get $150 USD discount with code ZoeDMZ!

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    9 mins
  • Ep.30 Traversing the Whole #DMZ from East to West (islands, observatories, and everything in between) [TOUR]
    Aug 3 2023

    The last in this series* and we go out with a bang! I chat with Greg, Lesley, and Peter about a very unique trip to South Korea - one truly like no other. That you can be part of this year, too!


    *Don't worry, I'm just taking a break and will be back in mid-September time :). I'll be back after a trip and also with another podcast in the making... watch this space!


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    Follow me on;


    - Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea


    - TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea


    - YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea


    Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours


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    Thanks to my Patrons!!!


    Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers


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    Links from the show;


    https://koryogroup.com/tours/greg-vaczi-s-dmz-adventure


    Leslie Instagram/Flickr @foliopix


    #northkorea #dprk #southkorea

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • Ep. 29 Inside the North Korean Countryside: Caves, Waterfalls, Rivers, Lakes, and Much More.
    Jul 27 2023

    The second part in the 2-part episode "Inside the North Korean Countryside". In this episode, we head to a few key spots in the North Korean countryside known for their beauty or indeed because they're hardly known at all and worth a mention...


    More details of each of these in the Travel Guides section on koryogroup.com (links below).


    Places we cover;

    Pakyon Falls

    Ryongmun Caves

    Ulim Waterfall

    Samil Lagoon

    Sinphyong

    Lake Sijung

    Sijung Beach

    Pujon Highlands

    Pujon Stone River

    Chongsokjong

    DMZ


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    Follow me on;


    - Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea


    - TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea


    - YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea


    Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours


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    Thanks to my Patrons!!!


    Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers


    --------------------


    Links from the show;


    https://www.artic.edu/artworks/197182/chongsokjong-kyongju-from-the-series-eight-views-of-korea-chosen-hakkei-keishu-sosekitei

    https://koryogroup.com/travel-guides/north-korea-dprk


    #northkorea #dprk #discovernorthkorea

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    42 mins
  • Ep. 28 Inside the North Korean Countryside; Korea's 5 (6) Famed Mountains
    Jul 20 2023

    In this 2-part episode, I delve into the North Korean countryside to give an overview on what the North Korean countryside has to offer. This first episode is all about mountains; North Korea's most famous mountain ranges. Indeed, of the 6 famous mountains on the Korean Peninsula - 5 of them lie in the northern half. So, there's a lot to cover!


    A lot of this information was taken from Koryo Tours' North Korea Travel Guides section, a comprehensive online travel guide into North Korea.


    Contact me with your questions & guest recommendations on zoediscovers@gmail.com.


    Follow me on;

    -> Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea

    -> TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea

    -> YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea


    Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours


    Thanks to my Patrons!!!

    Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers


    Links from the show;


    Aim High in Creation Watch & Competition - https://koryostudio.com/films/aim-high-in-creation/ / https://koryostudio.com/blog/Aim-High-In-Creation-Competition

    Paektusan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-paektu-north-korea-north-korea-travel-guide

    Chilbosan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-chilbo-north-korea-north-korea-travel-guide

    Kuwolsan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-kuwol-kuwolsan-north-korea-travel-guide

    Myohyangsan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-myohyang-north-korea-north-korea-travel-guide

    Kumgangsan - https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/mt-kumgang-north-korea-north-korea-travel-guide

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    49 mins
  • Ep. 27 Unveiling North Korea's Film Secrets: Behind the Scenes with Nick Bonner on 'Aim High in Creation', Propaganda, and Making Movies in North Korea
    Jul 13 2023

    I chat with Nick Bonner, Koryo Studio director and producer/director of several movies & documentaries inside North Korea. He's the go-to man for facilitating these kinds of projects (and much more) in North Korea, and a film he co-directed also won an award a the Pyongyang International Film Festival. He's also the associate producer of Aim High in Creation, a film by an Australian movie producer Anna Broinowski. The film is newly available on Vimeo and there is also a competition running where you get the opportunity to rent/download it online! Listen until the end for how to enter... (or just skip to the link at the bottom!).


    Massive thanks to Nick for the incredibly interesting chat!!!! Show him some love over at Koryostudio.com or email info@koryostudio.com for more info on art purchases and other projects in North Korea.


    Contact me with your questions & guest recommendations on zoediscovers@gmail.com.


    Follow me on;

    -> Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea

    -> TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea

    -> YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea


    Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours


    Thanks to my Patrons!!!

    Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers


    Links from the show -


    MOVIES/DOCUMENTARIES


    Aim High in Creation / Comrade Kim Goes Flying / Crossing the Line / A State of Mind / Michael Palin in North Korea / Game of Their Lives; https://koryostudio.com/films/


    Vimeo; https://vimeo.com/comradekimgoesflying


    NORTH KOREAN ART


    Map of Pyongyang (Gareth Fuller); https://koryostudio.com/purchase/original/tourist-map-of-pyongyang/


    "Wash Your Hands"; https://koryostudio.com/purchase/original/lets-wash-our-hands/


    Silence; https://koryostudio.com/sale/original/silence/


    COMPETITION


    Win Aim High in Creation; https://koryostudio.com/blog/Aim-High-In-Creation-Competition

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ep. 26 Why a Second Trip to North Korea is Worth It (& Journey to Freelance guiding) | Guest Special w/Pete
    Jul 6 2023

    What makes the North East so special? I chat with my colleague and friend Pete who works as a freelance tour guide for Koryo Tours (pre-pandemic..!) and visited the DPRK 6 times alone in 2019. He first visited North Korea on a simple trip to Pyongyang but decided that he needed to go back to explore more.


    Pete also gave a really interesting insight into an SEZ that came up as a topic in the Rason episode.


    He's also an avid podcast listener, so thanks for the constant support Pete and was lovely having you on the show! Until next time!


    Contact me with your questions & guest recommendations on zoediscovers@gmail.com.


    Follow me on;

    -> Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea

    -> TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea

    -> YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea


    Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours


    Thanks to my Patrons!!!

    Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers


    Links from the show;


    Pierre Depont's Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/pierredepont/

    The Real North Korea (Andrei Lankov); https://www.amazon.com/Real-North-Korea-Politics-Stalinist/dp/0199390037

    More info on the KFA: https://korea-dpr.com/

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Ep. 25 Staying in a Homestay in North Korea & Other Surprising Things You Can Do.
    Jun 29 2023

    From shooting pheasants (chickens?) and taking them home for dinner to having a soak completely naked with the locals at the spa. In this episode, I chat about some things you probably never knew you could do in North Korea.


    This is a list mainly inspired by everyone's reactions when I tell them what I've been up to on tour. Sure, some of these actually surprised me too - but it's mainly the things that are everyday and mundane that surprise the most people.


    Contact me with your questions & guest recommendations on zoediscovers@gmail.com.


    Follow me on;

    -> Instagram @zoediscoversnk for pictures, videos, and live sessions (when it's possible) from inside North Korea

    -> TikTok @zoediscovers for long and short-form videos inside North Korea

    -> YouTube @zoediscovers for vlogs inside North Korea


    Visit North Korea: www.koryogroup.com / @koryotours


    Thanks to my Patrons!!!

    Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/zoediscovers


    Links from the show;


    Crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/beyondthehorizon

    Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2021/08/31/what-its-like-to-get-stranded-in-paradise-a-true-story/

    CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/british-woman-who-spent-pandemic-in-tonga/index.html

    Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    47 mins